


Dangerously Beautiful

by Lovebeauty01



Category: The Fast and the Furious (2001), Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Police, Street Racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2020-04-08 00:08:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19095745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovebeauty01/pseuds/Lovebeauty01
Summary: Edward Cullen works for the LAPD and goes undercover as a street racer to catch the elusive Emmett McCarty. In his discovery of the illegal dealings Emmett does, Edward falls for Emmett's younger sister, Bella.(My take on Twilight characters replacing "The Fast & the Furious" cast)





	1. Dangerously Beautiful

**(Welcome to my newest work. I had the inspiration to write this little story when I was listening to my "Fast & Furious" radio on my Pandora. I love the music from the soundtracks as well as the movies. I wanted to replace the Fast/Furious cast with Twilight...and this is what I got so far. It won't be long...maybe 7 or 8 chapters. NOTE: the first chapter is completely different from the first half of the movie!!) **

 

**As always: I don't own it! Enjoy!!**

 

  
The booming music of Midnight Sun could be heard down the street as Edward Cullen parked his orange ‘95 Mitsubishi Eclipse on the opposite side curb of the night club. Beside him was his childhood best friend, Jasper Hale, who was nursing a Yuengling. The Los Angeles night sky was lit up by the many buildings that surrounded the overpopulated city.

Opening the car door, he stood there and looked at the long line that was wrapped around the building. Edward turned to smirk at Jasper, who tipped his beer at him, before throwing it back and tossing the empty bottle into the passenger seat.

“Hey, fuck you!” Edward snapped.

“What?” Jasper asked coyly. He knew that Edward hated trash in his car.

“Nothing man,” Edward sighed and realized that Jasper would never change.

“You ready to have fun?” Jasper asked, as they crossed the busy street and stopped in front of the door.

“You bet,” Edward smiled wide and nodded his head at the bouncer. He laughed softly hearing the cursing from the waiting patrons.

Inside the club was crowded as fuck. The strobe lights flickered over the sea of dancing people. The DJ, known as DJ Breaker, was in his box making magic with his fingers. The pulse of the club was electrifying. It was almost as good as racing.

Street racing was something that Edward knew was beyond illegal, but he didn’t give a fuck. It paid well to have a fast car. The beat of 'Calabria Remix’ by Enur pounded against the walls of the dark nightclub. Maneuvering his way through the mass of sweaty humans, Edward found his way to the bar.

As he passed the humans, females of all shapes and sizes eyed him like he was exotic candy that needed to be devoured. Turning his head back toward Jasper, who already had a beautiful girl on his arm, he shook his head and kept pushing his way to the bar. Squeezing through two guys, who were trying to get the bartenders attention, Edward pulled out a twenty and waved it around to catch the bartender’s attention.

“What will you have?” a beautiful blonde, her nametag showing Tanya, leaned over the bar exposing a nice set of cleavage.

“Two Coronas!” he shouted over the noise. She nodded and disappeared before returning with two ice cold Coronas. Taking the bottle opener in her hand, she popped them opened before sliding a wedge of lime in each. Slapping them on the wet bar, she held out her hand and Edward handed over the twenty. Shaking his head at her, he indicated the rest was her tip, She flashed him a wide smile and disappeared.

Handing the second Corona to Jasper, who eagerly took it and pulled the lime out. The girl on his arm snatched it out of his hand and sucked on the sour fruit before tossing it on the ground.

Motioning for them to move, the trio danced along with the music and headed toward the seating area where they would find a table regardless of who was sitting there. Finding one nearly five minutes later, they collapsed into the sticky but dry chairs. Edward leaned back and inhaled half of his beer before setting it down on the table.

Jasper was far to busy with his tongue down the throat of the short dark-haired girl he had found when they arrived. Women were plenty for Edward and he took his taste in the many that eyed him, but something lately kept him from chasing after women. Ignoring his best friend, Edward tapped his foot to the beat of the music and sipped on his beer slowly.

Just when he thought the night was going to be a complete bust, he saw her. Dancing with some fucking pussy-looking dude. His hands were on her waist and she was in the shortest black dress he had ever laid eyes on. Edward watched them dance and was mesmerized by the way she moved to the hip hop music the DJ kept playing.

Edward watched as she swayed her hips, her eyes closed. A tiny hand fisted in her hair as she rocked her body against the guy that was behind her. Finishing the last of his beer, he set the bottle down on the sticky table and walked into the crowd. Numerous women stopped him, their hands on his body, as he weaved his way toward this dancing goddess.

He stopped in front of her and she opened her eyes seeing him hovering over her. Smiling coyly, she closed her eyes and turned back to the music. The guy behind her didn’t seem to catch the hint that someone was moving in on his territory. Without his own dance partner, Edward stepped into her dance space.

The music danced around them and the crowd seemed to flow like an ocean wave. All he could do was focus on was the girl in front of him. When the next song started, she turned to her dance partner and shooed him off. The guy shot Edward a dirty look before nodding at the girl and wandered off. She turned back to him and flashed him a flirtatious smile and pulled him toward her. She placed his hands on her hips and spun around to press her supple body into his and the dance began. Edward was entranced with how she moved against his body.

He felt her passion in the way she moved against him and knew that she would be an exquisite lover. It seemed that hours passed when it could have been minutes. Edward knew she was coming home with him tonight and he wouldn’t be letting her go. Glancing around the room, he saw Jasper and his current date dancing along with the new song. He had forgotten about his best friend.

An hour before the club closed, DJ Breaker called for the last hour of music and drinks. Edward couldn’t believe he wasn’t drunk on alcohol tonight, but drunk on the girl in his arms. Her dance partner had yet to return but stood by and glared at them dancing.

Sweat bloomed between their bodies, their feet never moved during their dance marathon. Edward never spent this long with a woman before he was escorting her out the door, into his car, and back to his place before fucking her. This woman...this woman was different. There was something beautifully dangerous about her.

In the middle of ‘Talk Dirty’, a large man stopped in front of them, halting their dancing much to Edward’s displeasure. The man scowled in the dark nightclub and grabbed the woman in front of him and started to pull her away. The odd thing was that she went willingly with him.

“Hey!” Edward shouted as they walked away. There was no fucking way he was going to let this woman go without at least finding out her name. The music hummed behind him and he kept pace with the man that was dragging his dance partner. Storming out an Exit door a minute later, Edward didn’t realize that Jasper was behind him. He must have thought Edward was about to get into a fight.

“Let’s go B!” The man shouted, thundering down the flight of stairs.

Following them, Edward stopped at the top of the flight of stairs and stared at the woman. She was more beautiful in the light. The man pulling her was quite large, with short brown buzzed hair and a mean scowl on his face. On the passenger door stood the asshole that had been glaring at them the whole night.

“Wait!” Edward called out traipsing down the stairs. The crowd stopped and turned to look at him. The beautiful woman stared at him with her chocolate doe eyes and a smile formed on her face. Stepping toward her, he watched as she glared at the older guy and saunter over to him.

“Yes?” she said softly, ignoring the crowd behind her.

“What’s your name?” Edward asked, stepping off the curb.

“B! NOW!” the large linebacker asshole shouted ripping the back driver door open.

“NO! I am talking Em!” she snapped.

“B! I ain’t playin’!”

Edward smirked and kept his eyes on the woman in front of him. He was very aware that Jasper was behind him in case things became dicey.

“I’m Bella…” the woman said with a flirtatious smile.

“I’m Edward.” he said finally before the one called ‘Em’ came back around the SUV and pulled Bella away from him. Edward narrowed his eyes as she struggled against ‘Em’ and snapped something at him in Spanish but climbed in the backseat. The asshole from earlier smirked and climbed into the passenger side.

The window rolled down and suddenly she was there hanging out the window, “I enjoyed our night together, Edward.”

“So did…” he started and had to step back onto the curb when ‘Em’ came barreling toward him.

“Listen here buster, back the fuck off her!” he snarled standing in front of Edward.

“Em! Stop it!” Bella shouted at him, trying to unlock and open the door with no success.

“What the hell are you doing here anyway, B?”

“Dancing Em. Jake was with me….”

“Yea,” Em glared at Jake, who was sitting in the passenger seat. “Look at what good it did you…”

“What the fuck is going on?” Edward managed to spit out.

“None of your business buster.” Em snapped at him.

Raising an eyebrow at Em, Edward didn’t step down as a normal person would. If this asshole yelled at him one more time, he was going to punch the asshole’s lights out. Jasper must have sensed it because he finally stepped around to stand beside Edward. Crossing his arms, he was thankful he wasn’t too fucking drunk to at least try to be intimidating.

“Come on Em! Let’s go. It almost 3am!” the one called Jake said, hanging out the window a cigarette in his lip.

“I told you….don’t fucking smoke in my car!” Em growled.

“Fine...Fine…” Jake tossed it on the ground and blew smoke from his mouth. “See...it’s out. Now can we go?”

Em growled and stomped around to the driver’s side of the SUV and climbed in. A second later, the SUV started up and before they left, Bella was at the opened window again.

“Maybe I’ll see you around Edward.”

“What’s your last name?” Edward said walking quickly to follow the car before it sped away.

Over the roar of the SUV swerving into traffic, Bella yelled out a name that he didn’t catch. Edward was ready to chase the SUV down and grab a number or something when Jasper stopped him. Holding him back, Edward watched as the perfect woman drove away with a fucking maniac and smartass.  
He stood there until the SUV was a small black dot in the distance. Breaking away from Jasper, he stormed away pissed off. When he reached his car, he fished the keys out and jerked the door opened.

“What the fuck was that?” Edward rounded on Jasper, who was climbing into the car.

“I don’t fucking know. You know him?” Jasper asked, taking a seat and buckling up.

“Never in my life,” Edward snapped.

“Hey!” Jasper raised his hands in surrender. “I’m just fucking asking, man.”

“No shit…”

“Listen drop me off and I will see you tomorrow,” Jasper replied, yawning.

Turning the car over, the engine purred loudly and Edward goosed the engine and they sped away.


	2. No One Likes Tuna Sandwiches

**As always: I don't own it! Enjoy!**

 

Slouching into his seat, Edward Cullen eyed his superior who was pacing back and forth across the room. Tapping the pen against the desk, he swore that last night had been a dream. He had found the perfect woman for him and was stolen away by a fucking criminal.

Just his fucking luck.

Jasper sat beside him, his eyes droopy from lack of sleep. Edward had stormed into his best friends apartment and literally pushed the asshole off his own bed to get him up and ready for another workday. Jasper slept, then cursed when woken, all the way to the precinct. Now sitting beside him, Edward shook his head and realized they needed to stop going out on a weeknight.

“Listen up you people!” their superior, Sgt Charlie Swan, snapped. Everyone turned their head as the room became quiet as a mouse. “Two days ago a semi-truck was assaulted by three Honda Civics. This truck was carrying electronic merchandise when it was hijacked. The crew stole the cargo and escaped into the night.”**

Edward leaned back into his chair and wondered how he could not have heard about this. It wasn’t the first time this happened, he presumed.

“And these criminals need to be caught….” Sgt Swan droned on, looking around the room hoping that everyone was paying attention. “The FBI has sent us Agent Dwyer to help with this investigation.” Sgt Swan pointed to a tall dark-haired built man in a plain black suit leaning against the window.

“Dismissed!” Sgt Swan barked. Everyone pushed back their chairs and stood up. The squeaking of the metal chairs against the linoleum floor caused everyone to wince. Edward reached over and pushed Jasper out of his chair, nearly knocking him to the floor. Jasper shot him a glare and realized the meeting was over.

“Cullen!” Sgt. Swan snapped. Edward stopped in his tracks and nodded to Jasper, who gave him a questioning look. Turning around, he waited for Sgt. Swan to speak.

“Take a seat, Cullen,” Sgt Swan said, sitting on the edge of his desk. Edward retook his seat and wished for a stick of gum. “We need someone to go undercover and catch these criminals before they or a truck driver murders someone. You down for it?” he asked.

Edward looked at his superior then toward Agent Dwyer who kept a fixed glare on his face. “Yea, I’ll do it. What else do I need to know?”

A rare smile broke out on Sgt. Swan’s face. “Good,” he said reaching around for a packet. Handing it to Edward, he flipped it open to see that it was information he would need. “Sorry but we don’t have pictures but we do have a lead on who we think could be doing this. His name is Emmett McCarty. He’s a professional street racer. He was banned from racing after he nearly killed a man for murdering his father. He’s an ex-felon. He owns a shop and ‘McCarty’s Market.”

“And you want me to scope it out?” Edward asked, reading over the paperwork about Emmett McCarty.

“We do. Try to get in with them. Street racing is illegal, but I know you have a...well,” Sgt. Swan paused struggling for words. “A modified car that could be used for a race. Get his attention...find out what he knows. Fuck his mother if you got too...Just find out what he knows!”

  
Edward smirked and nodded at his superior. “I’ll get right on it,” he said, coming to his feet. File in hand, he started toward the door when Sgt. Swan interrupted him.

“Oh and Edward….” Edward stopped and turned to face Sgt Swan and Agent Dwyer. “Don’t fuck this up.”

Silently nodding, Edward walked out of the room and toward his desk. He slapped the file onto his desk and took a seat across from Jasper, who was still half asleep.

“So what Sgt. Swan need you for?”

“I’m going undercover…”

“No shit. You get to do that? Lucky bastard…”

“Yea, not so lucky if I get fucking shot at…” Edward murmured annoyed.

“So when you start?” Jasper asked, a little put out. Of course, he didn’t get picked, but he figured it was because he had been asleep during the morning meeting.

“Tomorrow, I guess. I get to race…” Edward smirked feeling a sense of satisfaction that he would be able to race without the cops trying to bust him. Leaning over his desk, Edward flipped the file open and began reading everything inside it. He needed to be prepared for tomorrow so he didn’t fuck up and get himself shot.

*******

The next morning, Edward woke early and spent an unhealthy time getting ready for his undercover stint. He had memorized his role that he was going to be playing until he could see the words in his sleep. Throwing on some comfortable jeans and a white shirt, he grabbed his keys and left the house with a coffee. He would need the energy.

Climbing in his car, he sped off and headed toward the police station where he would check in before leaving. Once he arrived, he nodded at Jasper who seemed to more much awake than he was the day before. He was buried deep into something that Edward didn’t have time to ask about.

Checking in, he left a few minutes later with a new file. This time the directions to McCarty’s Market in Echo Park and a new vehicle. Apparently, the LAPD didn’t want him driving around in something they couldn’t trace. They also, with all good intentions in their hearts, gave him a job working at a parts store.

When he complained, he was told that it was part of undercover work.

Arriving half an hour later, even with the terrible LA traffic, he pulled his car into a parking spot and turned the engine off. Leaning back into the seat, he removed his sunglasses and took a sip of coffee.

This was the place. There wasn’t much to it. The hot LA sun beat down on him as he exited the truck and punched the button to lock it. The noise chirped loudly rousing the owners of this place.

Edward walked across the pavement and before he could place his foot on the step, he heard the soft clicking sound of heels. Whoever the owner was was female. A mane of dark brown hair entered his line of sight and he groaned when he finally saw the face of the woman in heels.

It was Bella from Midnight Sun.

Fuck  
Fuck  
Fuck

His mind whirled in anticipation and exasperation. What in the hell was she doing here? Mind racing as fast as his car could go, he whipped his head around looking for an escape. The only upside was that she didn’t know he was a cop. This time, an undercover cop.

She was beautiful in a yellow off the shoulder dress. The heels he heard were low and white. There was something about her that called to him. That he needed to get to know her. Her being here jeopardized things. Did she know Emmett McCarty? Or was she an innocent bystander.

Sucking in a deep breath, Edward plastered his, as Jasper called it, his ‘panty dropper smile’ and walked up to the three small steps that led to the porch of the building. He stopped seeing her whip her head up and her eyes went wide.

What a small fucking world……

“Can I help you?” she asked, her eyes widening as she took note of him.

“Just looking for something to eat…” Edward said, coming closer to her.

Bella raised her eyebrow at him and scoffed, “Yea, I’m sure you are. You drove all the way out here for a lukewarm sandwich.”

“What can I say? I’m a growing boy…” he replied cheekily, flashing her a smile.

Bella rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, “Follow me.” Coming around the counter, she stepped behind it and opened a door and quickly made a tuna fish sandwich. Setting it on the counter, she grabbed a can of Pepsi and set it beside the sandwich. Edward smirked, snatched his wallet out of his back pocket, and sat down on an empty stool. Removing a ten dollar bill, he laid it on the counter where she snatched it up and tossed it in the till.

Edward couldn’t believe he was doing this. Sitting across from this dangerously beautiful woman and requesting lunch from her. Unwrapping the sandwich, he wrinkled his nose and took a large piece in his mouth. Yea, it was half warm but still tasted good. Popping the Pepsi open, he took a swig of it before setting it down.

“Taste good?” she asked smirking at him.

“Fabulous. So I thought I’d never see you again…”

“Yea, imagine that. Small world,” she retorts, reaching for a nearby pen. Flipping open a ledger she started working on the books. It wasn’t as if she was hiding anything.

Edward continued to eat the sandwich and washing it down with the Pepsi. He and Bella talked he cringed when he found out that her last name was McCarty. Wiping his mouth with the paper towel she had thrown him, he crumpled up his mess and tossed everything in a nearby trashcan.

Before he could open his mouth, Edward heard the rumble of several engines coming this way. Bella didn’t look up, but Edward twisted around on the barstool to see several modified cars and especially a Honda Civic with Emmett McCarty coming out of it. Raising an eyebrow, Edward turned his head around to stare at Bella, who had closed the ledger she was working on. Several people walked in, two males and one hot blonde that was following Emmett to the back of the store. He heard the blonde woman say hell to Bella as she passed her.

Ignoring the stomping of several pairs of feet, Edward debated on whether he wanted another sandwich. A few minutes later, a heavy presence stood beside him and he could feel eyes on him. Turning his head he was face to face with the asshole from Midnight Sun. Thinking for a second, Edward replayed that night and remembered the fuck’s name was Jacob. Raising an eyebrow at him, Edward sighed seeing Jacob sneer at him.

“The fuck you think you’re doing here pretty boy?” Jacob spat smirking at him.

Edward waved his hand around nonchalantly, “Having lunch.”

“So you drove all the way out here in that piece of shit car just to eat a fucking tuna sandwich?” Jacob asked, pointing at his ‘99 Ford F-150 Lightning.

“It’s a good sandwich,” Edward said simply ignoring the jab at his truck.

Pushing himself off the stool, Edward looked at Bella, who had been watching the scene with interest, “See ya later Bella.”

“Bye Edward,” she said softly ignoring the glare from Jacob.

“Hey, asshole!” Jacob called out, following Edward. “Don’t come back here!”

“Why not? Food is good.” He was halfway to his truck before he stopped and turned to watch as Jacob stomped at him, his arms waving wildly.

“Food sucks. No one likes the tuna sandwich.”

“Well, I do…” Edward said fishing out his keys. Before he could press the unlock button, Jacob had slammed him into the truck door. Turning around before he could get hit, Edward punched Jacob in the face, knocking him back.

Jacob dove in and headbutted him the stomach, grabbing Edward and pushing him back toward the truck before Edward could push him back. It seemed that this was Jacob’s signature move because he dove again at Edward’s mid-section. They were stuck in a headlock when he finally pushed Jacob off him and began punching the asshole in the stomach repeatedly.

Unbeknownst to him, Bella was inside yelling at Emmett to stop the fight. The racing crew stood around and watched as Jacob and Edward were fighting in the parking lot. Punch after punch, Jacob had him on the ground and it seemed like he was winning until he wasn’t anymore.

Finally, he felt hands jerk him off Jacob and pushing aside and onto the hood of a car. He watched as Jacob was pulled up then ran at him again only to be stopped by one of the other guys.

“Hey!” Edward said, holding his hands up and facing Emmett. “He was in my face... “

“Now I am in your face….” Emmett glared and stepped close to him. “Eric, grab his wallet.”

The young guy wearing a beanie stepped over and leaned down to retrieve Edward’s fallen wallet. Handing it to Emmett, he opened it up and glanced at the driver’s license. “Edward Robert Masen….that name sounds like a serial killer. Are you one?” Emmett snapped pointing a finger at him.

“No--No man...I’m not.”

“Don’t give a fuck. Now leave and don’t come back!” Emmett said, throwing the wallet at him which Edward caught swiftly. Eyeing an upset Bella, Edward grimaced and nodded. Turning back to his trunk, he climbed in and sped off.


	3. "Dude...I almost had you!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As always: I don't own it! Enjoy!

  
After his tremendous fuck up earlier at McCarty’s Market, Edward drove around Los Angeles trying to think of a way to get inside information to wrap up the case. He was still pissed off that he let Jacob get to him. Seeing Bella was almost worth the ass kicking he received. Punching the steering wheel, Edward swore under his breath as he merged onto the freeway. There must be something he could do to draw attention to himself. 

After an hour of driving around, Edward parked his truck at the Marsh Street Nature Park and stared out over the river that wound its way through the park. Reaching over, he picked up the stack of files he had on Emmett McCarty and flipped it open. Sitting in his truck with the AC running, Edward skimmed through the information and smiled when he came across that Emmett was a street racer. 

Edward smiled and realized this was his ticket in. Now, he had to find out where and when Emmett would race next. Closing the file, he tossed it back in the passenger seat and put the truck in drive. Finding his way back to the freeway, Edward merged into the heavy traffic and slowly made his way back toward the precinct. 

Nearly an hour later he parked the truck and realized it was low on gas and turned off the engine. Exiting the truck, he bound up the steps and inside the cold ass building. He passed several cops who waved. Edward headed over toward his desk and sat down, seeing Jasper working on something. 

“You busy?” 

“Kind of,” Edward replied, turning his laptop on. 

“What the fuck happened to your face, man?” Jasper asked, rising from his seat and coming to sit on the edge of Edward’s desk. 

Edward rubbed his jaw and winced from the pain. “Yeah, that. I got into a fight with Jacob Black.” 

“You kick his ass?” 

“Tried too. Emmett McCarty stepped in and put a stop to it.” Edward sighed, typed in a few words and hit the enter button. 

“The fuck he do that for?” 

Edward shrugged. “Not a fucking clue. He’s banned me from ever stepping onto his property again.” His eyes skimmed the information, and he reached over to the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a notepad and pen. “I ran into the hot chick that I was dancing with at Midnight Sun.” 

“Oh yeah,” Jasper asked, his eyes lighting up. “What’s her story?” 

“She’s Emmett McCarty’s little sister…” 

“No fucking way…” 

“Way. She’s one hell of a flirt and smart as fuck too.” 

“So what are you planning on doing now?” Jasper asked, leaning over to look at the laptop screen. 

“I am.” Edward paused and looked at the screen before turning back to the notepad, “going to find out where Emmett McCarty will race next.” 

Jasper nodded at his friend and realized that whatever Edward was up to was about to become dangerous. He knew that Edward could handle himself in any situation, but racing cars was something that Edward lost his mind over. 

“You want me to ride with you?” Jasper asked. “Or come along…..” he winced seeing the baleful look Edward flashed him. “Oh fuck off, you know how you fucking get…” 

“Yeah, I know how I get, but not this time,” Edward snapped before taking a deep breath. “Listen, stay close, and I’ll call if I need help.” 

Jasper nodded and clapped Edward on the shoulder before removing his sore ass off the desk and wandered back over to his own desk to keep working. Ten minutes later, Edward powered down the laptop and ripped the sheet of paper out of the notebook and walked off. 

Climbing into his truck a few minutes later, he realized he had several hours before the race would probably start. Taking the freeway back toward his house, he pulled up after an hour of sitting in the hot fucking California heat and turned the truck off. Sweat was pouring down his back, even with the AC on. 

His Eclipse was parked in the garage and looked lonely now that he wasn’t driving it constantly. Edward could smell the funk of body odor and knew he needed a bath, but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure the Eclipse was finely tuned for tonight. Cramming the piece of paper in his pocket, Edward walked around the large truck and opened the door to the Eclipse and sat down. Turning the engine over, he smiled and ran his hand over the steering wheel. 

He could imagine what it would feel like to race this car, albeit illegally, _but_ he was undercover. Backing out of the opened garage, he punched the button on the controller to close the garage and peeled out of the driveway. Edward turned left and headed toward the nearest auto-parts store. 

Leaving several long, yet educating hours later, Edward pulled out of the parts store and headed back toward his house. Pulling into the driveway, he chuckled and shifted the car into Neutral and goosed it. He smiled, hearing the beautiful sound of his finely tuned engine. Parking the car, Edward reached over toward the passenger seat and pulled out a bag. Tapping the NOS container with affection, he pulled the keys from the ignition and exited the car. 

Through the garage, Edward slipped the house key into the garage door and pushed it open a second later. Dropping the bag on the counter, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it in a full hamper of laundry. Flipping the bathroom light on, he walked over and turned the shower on. 

Ten minutes later, he wiped the condensation off the bathroom mirror and looked around at the hair products sitting on his counter and went au natural. Opening the bathroom door, his skin prickled as he headed toward the closet in his room. Finding a white shirt and a pair of faded jeans, he slipped them on and shoved his feet in his Nike’s. 

Grabbing his keys and wallet a minute later, Edward was out of the house and into the muggy summer air. Sliding into his car a few minutes later, he peeled out of the driveway and onto the road. Reciting the last known address of the previous street race, Edward headed that direction. 

Coming to a red light, Edward leaned back in his seat when his phone chimed. Flipping it open, he read the address. The race was off S Alameda Street, but that was as close as they could get without being spotted. Edward didn’t know exactly where it was but he knew it was somewhere close to downtown LA. Merging onto the 110 Harbor Fwy, he fought the late afternoon traffic. He could have driven through the city but decided against traffic light stops. 

Zipping in and out of the congested traffic, Edward gradually progressed his way toward the Santa Monica Fwy and groaned seeing the long line of traffic in front of him. He could see the heat waves coming from the hood of every car and wished for a split second he didn’t live in LA. He raised his wrist to check the time he realized that he would be late. 

The sky was nearly black when he finally merged off the Santa Monica Fwy and turned left onto S Alameda St. The streetlights illuminated the road ahead of him. Slowing his car to a stop, Edward stopped for a moment at a stop sign and sighed. Was he ever going to find this place? 

Turning down a narrow back road, he turned down the radio to listen. In the distance was the booming sound of engines and music. His lips curved into a slow smile as he realized he had found the place. Revving his car loudly, Edward drove toward the entrance. He followed a black car and saw a long strip of road and a large crowd of people and cars. 

Behind him were several more cars joining in on the race. Searching the cars as he passed, he wondered if Emmett McCarty would be there? Driving through the large crowd of people, Edward eyed an opened spot and put his car in reverse and backed in. Getting out of the car, Edward looked around, lost, and searched for Emmett. 

In minutes, a guy with black hair and a strong built who eyed his car accosted him. 

“You lost?” he asked, stepping closer to the car. 

“Nah man.” 

“Name is Sam Uley,” he reached over to shake Edward’s hand. 

“Edward Masen…” Edward smiled as Sam nodded. 

They spoke for another minute before a gangly tall man approached them. He had an intimidating look about him that sent the cop in Edward on edge. Edward watched as he approached, the man rubbing his chin as he looked at the car. 

“Nice wheels, man.” 

“Yeah, thanks,” Edward mumbled, shaking his head. 

“You gonna race tonight?” the unnamed man asked. 

“Yeah, just waiting on McCarty,” Edward said, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“Well, get in fuckin’ line…” the guy said as he turned toward Sam, “Yo man, how you hanging Sam?” 

“Not bad... not bad.”

“You racing too?” 

“Nah, fuck that,” Sam said, rolling his eyes. “My car is across the way.” 

“Hey man,” Edward interrupted. They both turned to look at him. Edward nodded toward the unnamed visitor. “You got a name?”

“Yeaaaa…,” the man drawled, dragging out the A. “Paul…” 

Suddenly, the roar of engines and a cheer sprang from the crowd and Edward perked up to see what was going on. Paul rubbed his hands together and smiled wickedly… “Fuck yeah, he’s here.” 

McCarty was here. *Finally*, Edward thought as he shuffled his feet in anticipation. As the crowd moved from their cars, Edward jerked as if shocked and followed them. Emmett pulled up in a red Mazda RX-7 and Edward knew that from looking at it, it was modified and fast. 

The Mazda came to a rolling stop as did the ones behind it. Edward watched from behind a group of people as Emmett stepped out of the car and surveyed the crowd before walking over toward Sam and giving him a low-five. Two girls flanked him quickly, and Emmett turned his eye toward them. 

Edward saw as several of Emmett’s crew exit their cars and watched in amusement as a hot blonde chick, in a pair of tight jeans and a mesh top, stopped in front of Emmett. She was his woman. 

She sniffed the air as if smelling something foul, “I smell skanks... Ladies why don’t you fucking move along now? Bye-bye.” She glared at the girls and shooed them away. 

“Rosie, we were just talking…” Emmett said, holding his hands up. 

“Right…” she muttered and walked off. 

Edward snorted in amusement and moved closer to listen on better. He watched as Paul wandered over and gave his greetings. 

“So what are we doing tonight?” Paul asked, rubbing his hands together. A shove by a random stranger startled Edward, but he was far too engrossed to react. 

“One race---2G buy-in. Winner takes all…” Emmett said. 

Edward fingered his back pocket and reached for his wallet. Before he could start counting, he looked up and saw her. Bella. What the fuck was she doing here? At a street race of all places? He didn’t see her come in, but by fucking hell did she look good. Cursing, he realized he didn’t have two grand sitting on him. The hell was his fucking problem showing up without fucking cash. 

He resisted the urge to stomp his foot at his own idiocy. He needed in that fucking race! Pushing his way back toward his car, he jerked the passenger door opened and nearly ripped the glove-compartment apart to find the papers for his car. Finding them a minute later, he slammed the door closed and made his way back toward Emmett and others who were getting ready to head to their cars.

“Wait!” he called, coming to stand beside Sam. “I don’t have the cash on me, but I have the pink slips in my car.” 

The surrounding crowd erupted into laughter. Frowning, Edward smothered the embarrassment that was creeping up on him. Emmett turned and glared at Edward, who didn’t shrink from the hateful glare.

“That’s cute,” Emmett smirked and shook his head. “This buster here thinks he can walk up to us, throw some paper down and thinks he can join in?” 

The crowd laughed harder and Edward started to get pissed off. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the one person he never thought would stand up for him. 

“Let him,” Bella spoke up, coming around to stand beside her brother. She shot Edward a look before turning back to look up at Emmett. “Let him race. See if he’s any good. He loses... you get a free car.” 

“You can’t be serious, B?” 

“I am, Em!” Bella snapped at him. 

“This asshole needs to fucking leave,” Jacob sneered, coming to stand beside Bella. 

“And you need to fuck off, Jake!” Bella snapped at him angrily. Edward smirked. She must not have forgiven the prick for jumping his ass earlier. Jacob placed his hands in front of him in surrender and backed off. 

“Well?” Edward snipped, growing irritated. 

Emmett turned and glared at him for a second, but Edward could tell he was contemplating Bella’s words. If he lost, Edward would walk home tonight. If he won, he would have several thousand dollars in his pocket. 

“Fine... you can race,” Emmett conceded finally. “Let’s go, everyone!” 

In seconds, the mass of people was scurrying back to their cars and turning them on. The roaring sounds of engines filled the small alleyway and Edward didn’t have time to smirk before hurrying back to his own car. He would follow the cars to the street where they would race. 

Fifteen minutes later, Edward slowed his car down as the cars in front of him began to park and turn their engines off. Driving slowly beside the three other cars that would race that night, he felt a rush of excitement seeing all the people leaning up against their cars and cheering. 

Edward kept his eyes on the road but could see Jacob peering into his car like he wanted to rip him out of it. His eye caught the hot blonde chick, named Rosie and Bella, who looked eagerly for the race to start. Gripping the wheel tightly, he knew he had to win. Win the money and win the respect from the other racers and get on Emmett’s good side. 

Edward realized how much of a novice he was at street racing when he skidded across the starting line. Realizing his fumble, he backed up and casually glanced at the other racers who shook their head in disappointment. 

Reaching into the backseat, or what was left of it, he twisted the nozzles on two large NOS cans. The hissing noise filled the quiet car, and he quickly flipped the switches on to get the car ready. It was a waiting game for the signal to let the drivers know it was time to race and the cops would be busy.

Edward scoffed. Cops busy in LA, who the fuck knew? 

Within minutes, Sam gave the signal and the roar of the engines nearly drove out the shouts and screams of bystanders. Sam raised his arms in the air and signaled for them to begin. Edward could barely hear Sam scream “GO!” 

Nearly losing control of the car at the incredible speed he took off on, Edward found himself in fourth place. He followed the cars and frowned, seeing Emmett in the lead. _Damn, he’s fas_ t Edward thought as he struggled to keep up. Down the long street, he raced before flipping on one of his NOS tanks. It threw him back into his seat as he passed Paul and into the third position—only trailing a few feet behind second. 

He was going so fast that it was tearing up his car. When metal fell out, he suddenly passed Emmett, who glared at him. In seconds, Emmett had hit his NOS and sped past him. Shocked at the speed, Emmett was going Edward lost control of the car. He stopped on a dime and realized he was alive. Even though he had lost the race. 

Driving down the road, he slowly made his way back toward the racers and the bystanders who had already forgotten about him. Coming to a stop, he got out of his car and closed the door, smiling. 

He didn’t win, but he was alive. One of Emmett’s crew popped the hood of his car and smoke filtered out much to the amusement of everyone in the crowd. Emmett, Edward noticed, just shook his head in disbelief. Edward couldn’t stop smiling. 

“What the fuck are you smiling at?” 

“Dude! I almost had you!” Edward cried joyfully as the crowd cheered.

“Fuck that! You never had me nor your car.” Emmett replied as the crowd booed at the comeback. Edward tried to reign in his anger as Emmett strolled around his car and pointed out every fucking mistake he made during the race. Edward realized he had fucked up and lost. Lost his fucking car and now he would have to rely on the cops to help him with a new car. 

Edward couldn’t stomach to look at Bella, who was smiling at the scene. He didn’t want to see her amusement that he lost. 

… “Winning is winning…” he broke from his brooding to hear Emmett’s final words before all pandemonium broke loose.

In seconds, over a speaker, they heard someone scream “COPS! COPS! COPS! LET’S GO!” Everyone began to scramble away in a hurry. Street racing was illegal and anyone caught would be cuffed and stuck in a cell for the night. 

Sliding into his car a second later, he didn’t see Bella leave but watched as Emmett raced away from the scene as fast as he could. In a matter of seconds, the LAPD swarmed the place and was ready to catch all cars that were there. 

Edward had lost track of Emmett, much to his disappointment and drove around hoping to find him. When he did, Emmett was being chased by a cop. Screaming at him to get in, Emmett paused for a second before climbing in. Speeding away, the cop trailed him with his sirens blaring. Crossing through the back alleys of Los Angeles, Edward knew it would be stupid to drive on the main roads and to let the police catch even more. 

He would have a lot of explaining to do if he was caught with Emmett McCarty in the car and that fragile trust would be lost before it solidified. Taking a major highway, Edward zoomed past two cops and drove off, losing them quickly. 

Emmett turned to see the cops disappear and turned to glance at Edward, who was still concentrating. “You are the last person I expected…” 

“Yea, well I thought if I got into your good graces, you’d let me keep my car.”

Emmett chuckled and shook his head. “You are in my good graces, but your car is still mine.” 

Then something unexpected happened. Emmett began interrogating him. He asked him about his life and his driving skills. Emmett commented that he seemed as if Edward had raced before. What really stunned him was when Emmett brought up his two-year stint in juvie for boosting cars. Emmett said he had someone named Eric run a profile on him. This disturbed Edward. If he could find out about his juvie record in Forks, then he might find out that Edward was a cop. 

Then Edward turned the tables on Emmett. “Yeah, what about you?” 

“Two years in and I will die before I go back,” Emmett responded quietly. 

The drive back was quiet with no one following them until Emmett cursed and Edward saw a group of drivers on the back of crotch-rockets. 

“The fuck is going on?” 

“Just….” 

“Follow us!” one rider said, tapping on the car with a gun in his free hand. Edward had no choice but to follow them. He grimaced as he realized the plot was thickening. Driving into the entrance of a red Asian building, Edward stopped the car in front of a statue garden, he stopped in front of a statue and turned off the car. 

Getting out, alongside Emmett, the riders began removing their helmets. Edward wished he had a gun on him. 

The leader, he presumed, began talking to them. Though Edward was certain that he was talking to Emmett. 

“You know, McCarty. I thought we had a deal. You stay away, I stay away and everyone is happy.” 

“Listen, we got lost, James.” 

“Who’s we?” 

Emmett pointed toward Edward. “Edward meet James Baker. The one in the snakeskin pants is his cousin, Laurent Martin.” 

They began discussing the car in front of them. James wondered who it belonged too and when neither Edward nor Emmett claimed it, he called it a nobody car. Edward watched as James strolled around the car, critiquing it. 

Within seconds, the riders were leaving at James’s command. Edward tried to keep himself out of the conversation but caught that Emmett and James were talking about some race in the desert and how James would win. The engines revved loudly, and they took off leaving Emmett and Edward in the dust. 

They started to get into the car when James and Laurent came back with their guns out and started shooting at the car. Emmett and Edward jumped aside as the car caught flame and James and Laurent sped away. 

“NOS!” Emmett shouted and turned to run away before the car exploded. 

Pissed off, Edward realized his car was gone. Edward learned during their twenty-mile hike back to Echo Park that a deal with Emmett and James had gone sour. Plus, he learned that things weren’t good when Emmett was caught sleeping with James’s sister. Two miles into their walk, they finally spotted a taxi. Within an hour, they had made it back to Echo Park to Emmett’s house that he shared with his sister, Bella. 

Edward sighed and started to walk away to find another taxi or a bus stop when Emmett called his name from the top step of the porch. He turned around in confusion and wondered what Emmett wanted now.

“You wanna come in for a beer?” 

“Yea sounds great,” Edward said, realizing that even if he didn’t win tonight—he had found himself in Emmett McCarty’s good graces and that was good enough for him. 

Tonight had been one hell of a night. First, he raced, lost, and was chased by cops. Then he found out Emmett’s past dealings and now the man wanted him to come inside for a beer? 

Edward realized he needed to find another car…. and fast!


	4. You want me to pop the hood?

A week later, Edward stomped up the weathered flight of stairs that led to Emmett McCarty’s home. He had not been here since last week when he lost his car in that fucking race. He raised his hand to knock on the door when it was yanked open revealing the one person he wished to see. 

Bella McCarty stood there in a pair of tight jeans and a white top. Her face was flushed like she had run a marathon. She had watched as a black truck pulled up on the curb and parked. She raised an eyebrow when she realized it was Edward Masen. 

“Fuck..” she muttered, looking down at her tattered sweats and black greased shirt. She would have to change before he came inside. Em wasn’t around and it piqued her curiosity why he would come to their house. Bella ripped her clothes off and rummaged through her drawers and found a pair of skin-tight ripped jeans and white t-shirt a minute later. 

Rushing to the bathroom she dressed quickly and ran a brush through her tangled hair. It was a record for her, but she pounded down the flight of stairs and yanked the door open as he raised his hand to knock. Bella discreetly eyed him and mentally drooled. He stood there in relaxed jeans, that she knew made his ass look good, and a black t-shirt.  

“Hi,” she said, flashing him a smile. 

“Hi yourself...” 

“You looking for Em?” 

“Nah,” Edward said, shaking his head. “I’m actually here for you.” 

Bella raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what his intentions were. Shrugging, she stepped aside and let him in. She knew they would only have a few minutes of privacy, Em and his crew would be home soon.

Edward stepped inside the home and realized it was larger than he imagined it to be. Last time he had been here, it was in full swing of a party that Emmett had abandoned him to take his old lady upstairs. Bella had taken pity on him after Jake bucked up to him and kept him company. 

Edward monitored Em’s crew who still distrusted him and relax. He left soon after that and knew that he would be back. He just didn’t know he would back so soon.  

He was intrigued by her and if he was honest with himself; he wanted to be around her more. Being in her presence was addicting. It was a pity that once he caught her brother, Edward wouldn’t be seeing much of her. Turning to look at her, he took an appreciatively glance and remembered why he was there. 

Before he could open his mouth to ask her out for the weekend, the door burst open and Em and his crew walked through the door. Edward and Bella turned their heads at the intrusion and Edward frowned. 

“The fuck is he doing here, Bella?” Jake asked hotly before anyone else could speak. 

“Yea...” Emmett drawled looking at Edward. Edward could see the question in Emmett’s eye. 

“I’m here for Bella,” Edward answered Emmett while ignoring Jake. 

“Yea,” Jake stepped forward, trying to assert his authority. “Why do you want Bella?” 

Edward smirked and shook his head, turning his head away from Jake’s angry gaze. He gave Bella a light shrug and realized he would have to talk to Bella when Jake wasn’t around. 

“See ya, Bella,” Edward said, walking back toward the door, but was stopped by a wall of muscle and an ugly face. 

“Where you think you’re going punk?” 

“Home. Did you want to hold my hand and make sure I make it?” Edward replied sarcastically. 

“Fuck you Masen.” Jake snarled, stepping into Edward’s space. Jake’s wide nose was pressed close to his own. 

Soft, small hands pressed against his chest as Edward looked down to see an irate Bella. He watched with amusement as she pushed Jake back as she stood between them. 

“Get the fuck out Jake!” she snapped, crossing her arms. 

“Bella, it’s cool. I need to go anyway.” Edward leaned down to reassure her. He barely saw her nod her head as he stepped around her and pushed past the angry Jake. 

“Edward,” a voice called out. Edward paused and turned around, his hand on the doorknob. 

“Yea...” he replied, seeing Emmett standing there expectantly. 

“You still owe me a car.” 

“I know,” Edward smirked, pulling the door open. “It will be at your shop tomorrow.” He turned around and stepped out the door. Pausing his step, he poked his head through the doorframe, smiling widely at Bella. “Nice talking to you, Bella.” 

With that, Edward turned and stomped down the flight of stairs, unaware of the shouting match that was taking place in the McCarty home. 

********

The next morning, Edward drove toward the junkyard to hunt down a car that would appease the street racer. It didn’t matter what year it was nor what kind of car it was; he just needed a car. Before he left his house, he called several junkyards hoping to find a car that could work on. 

Six calls later, he found a junkyard that would help him out. As he turned off the 710, he heard the unmistakable sounds of sirens. Checking his rearview window, he saw an unmarked cop car behind him, trying to pull him over. 

“Fuck,” he cursed quietly to himself as he pulled his truck over toward the curb. 

"Show me your hands. Open the door." Edward heard the man instruct over the speaker. 

Placing his hands on the outside of his truck, he looked back at them in confusion. As he climbed out of his truck, the man instructed him to place his hands behind his head and walk backward toward the rear of his truck. 

In seconds, Edward felt handcuffs snap around his wrists and tossed in the back of the car by two of his superiors. It was a long silent drive toward the suburbs as Edward sat in the back of the car. 

Half an hour later, they pulled up to a house. Stepping out of the car, Edward demanded to be uncuffed complaining about how tight the cuffs were.

Sgt. Swan led Edward inside the house where there was a team of investigators and cops who were milling around the living area. 

Coming face to face with Agent Dwyer, Edward realized this would not be a pleasant meeting. As he followed Agent Dwyer and Sgt. Swan into the dining room, Edward took a seat in a nearby chair and looked expectantly at his superiors. 

“We now have more information about. It’s now up to four hijackings in the past two months. The DVD players and cameras are worth two million. Which brings the grand total of six million-plus.” Agent Dwyer stated as he paced around the room. 

Stopping in front of a desk, Edward watched as he flopped a folder onto the desk. He nodded in appreciation as someone handed him a coffee. 

“Listen, Cullen, if you want that detective badge badly enough, help us. And you know what else? The F.B.I. can come through to help you.” Agent Dwyer spoke up, ignoring the smells of coffee. 

“What does the truck driver say?” Edward asked, leaning back into the chair. 

“Same M.O. that was in the file we gave you. Three Honda Civics with the same neon green glow from under the chassis,” Sgt. Swan explained. “Even found out what brand of tires they use. Which means they are in the street-racing word.” 

Edward rubbed his hands on his jeans and nodded. “Fine. I’ll see what I can dig up....” he stood up from his seat and looked at Agent Dwyer and Sgt. Swan, “Oh—you two owe me a car.” 

With that he turned and headed out of the house, ignoring the calls of protest from his superiors. When he was halfway across the expansive yard, he heard his name being called. Slowing his pace, Edward turned around to see Sgt Swan badly chasing after him. 

“There’s one thing you need to know about McCarty....” Sgt. Swan said, bending over to catch his breath, “He did hard-time for nearly beating a guy to death. Do not turn your back on him, Cullen.” 

*********  
The next day, Edward loaded up a beat-up red ‘93 Toyota Supra MK IV on the back of a 16ft trailer that he found in the junkyard the day before. Winding his way through the rising summer traffic of Los Angeles, he merged onto the 105. Thankfully, today wasn’t nearly as congested, but that changed when he eased onto to 110. Looking down the long line of cars, Edward sighed. Another hour passed, with the bumper to bumper traffic, he finally passed the city skyline of downtown Los Angeles. 

As he merged onto Highway 101, Edward passed the green sign for ‘Chinatown’. Maybe tonight he would have dinner there. As he joined the Hollywood Fwy, he saw Exit 4A. Getting into the right lane, he exited and drove toward McCarty’s car shop. 

Backing beside a large building with a metal-plated sign with ‘EMC Mechanics’ he slowly backed the trailer in where a large opened door was and parked the truck. Getting out, he aroused the attention of Emmett’s crew. 

“Hey... what on earth do we have here?” Emmett called out from inside the shop, his voice becoming clearer as he neared the opened doors. 

“This is your car.” 

“MY car?” 

“I said a ten-second car, not a ten-minute car,” Emmett reminded him with a smile as Eric and the blonde, Rosalie, laughed. 

Edward’s eyes cut toward Bella, who was standing behind her brother. She gave him a smile, but Edward knew she was trying not to laugh. He noted that Emmett was still staring at the car in disbelief that he could make it work. Edward had to think fast before they demanded another car. 

“Pop the hood.” 

“You want me to pop the hood?” 

“Yea,” Edward said, pointing toward the front of the car. Following Emmett toward the front of the car, Eric lifted the hood and everyone watched as it clanged onto the floor loudly. 

“Two J.Z. Engines,” Eric said with awe in his voice. 

“I retract my previous statement,” Emmett muttered, looking over the engine. 

“You know what, this car would decimate all cars if you drop say....15K into it,” Eric spoke up, eyeing Emmett for number confirmation. 

“Yea... yea... Put it on my tab at the auto shop.” 

The guys stood around for a moment and looked over the engine again. Each one of them could see money fall from the sky if Edward was to continue to win races. 

“Yo,” Emmett called out, stepping out of the garage. “If you’re not working at the auto shop, you’re working for me. Every tool imaginable is in this garage and if you can’t find it, then you need not be around a car.” 

Edward shook his head and smiled widely before leaning over and looking over the mess of the project he was about to embark on. A shadow passed by his right shoulder and a voice whispered in his ear.

“He owns you now...” Bella whispered as she walked away, smiling. Edward quickly turned around to watch her walk away with a look of uncertainty on his face. 

********

Soon enough the parts came in for the car and Edward, along with the rest of Emmett’s crew, began working on the car. Days passed by as the crew worked tirelessly to have the car ready for Race Wars. 

Edward checked in at the precinct every few days with nothing new to report. There were several nights he and Jasper would grab dinner while Jasper worked on the local cases that were tossed on his desk. Technically, Edward was undercover, but he still helped where he could. 

A week later, Edward was standing in the backyard of Emmett’s house when they heard three cars pull up. Walking over to the grill that was flaming hot with food, he watched as Jake, Rose, and Mike stepped out of the cars. 

Jake took one look at Edward standing there and tossed his bags at Mike. “I’m out of here!” 

“Jake, get over here and give us a hand,” Emmett called out, walking away from the grill. 

“Looks like you have all the help you need, brother,” Jake called out. He climbed into his car and drove off, the tires squealing as he did.

During the prayer said by Eric, Edward was sitting across from Bella, who couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He remembered their upcoming date and couldn’t wait until the weekend for it. Once the prayer ended, Edward reached for his beer and took a slow sip from it. The aroma of grilled chicken and other side dishes swam around him and he felt his stomach growl in anticipation.

Half an hour later, as everyone was sitting around the table, Jake strolled up like the lost, hungry dog that he was. Edward turned to look at him, balefully as Emmett let Jake rejoin their group. He watched as Jake sat down and began filling his plate. The tension in the air was palpable but broken up by Rosie who told everyone to eat. 

Later on, Bella was in the kitchen alone when Edward brought in the last of the dishes from their cookout. “You need any help?” he asked, walking over to the sink. 

“Nah, I am good. You go join the boys watchin’ the movie,” she said giving him a smile. 

“You know where I come from the cook doesn’t clean,” he said, reaching for a dry towel. 

“Yea? Well, I’d like to go there,” she said sarcastically but with warmth in her voice. 

He stood there rinsing and drying dishes while she washed. There wasn’t any use speaking tonight. They would do plenty of that on their date. The clanking of dishes and water rushing were the only sounds in the room. 

Jake, who had been in the living room stood up and walked toward the small kitchen itching for a bag of popcorn when he caught Edward and Bella washing dishes together. He snickered seeing Edward doing dishes like a fucking woman. 

Oh, how he hated the fucker. 

Laughing, he popped open the microwave and ripped open a bag of popcorn and threw it in. He threw a snide comment about Edward needing to wash his car when he finished doing dishes. 

“The fuck you say?” Bella snapped, setting her unwashed dish in the water and turning around. 

“Not you, Bella.” Jake snickered, pushing at the buttons on the microwave. “I’m talking to the punk.” 

Edward stood there ready to punch Jake’s fucking lights out. He was an immature dick who was sniffing around Bella. Edward hadn’t known Bella but a few weeks but it didn’t mean Edward liked it. 

“What was that little Cuban restaurant you wanted to take me too?” she asked Jake walking over to him. She snickered watching his eyes light up as if she would finally accept his date. “What was it called?” 

“Cha-cha-cha.” He smiled happily only to find himself pissed the fuck off seconds later. 

Bella smirked and turned around to Edward. She placed a hand on his shirt and looked up at him. “You can take me there since you never brought up a restaurant. Friday night at 10 pm?” 

Both of them turned to watch Jake stomp angrily out the kitchen. In his anger, he nearly stepped on his friends as he made his way out the door. Edward smirked hearing Jake yell at everyone to make their own popcorn. The satisfaction on his face when he heard the door slam. 

**********  
The next day, Edward was wandering in the auto store when Sam Uley walked in with his crew. Edward watched from behind a stack of NOS as Sam approached the counter and listened in as Sam told the guy, Brian, from behind the counter he needed three of every part on some list. 

This intrigued him, but he filed it away for another day. 

That afternoon, Edward walked into the prescient and saw Jasper sitting at his desk, buried under a mountain of work. Tapping his knuckles on the desk as he passed, Jasper looked up and smiled seeing his best friend. 

“Well, well, well... it’s about time I’ve seen you.” he snarked, shaking his head. An errant blonde hair dangling over his left eye. 

“Haha, funny,” Edward replied sarcastically. “You wanna help me out tonight?” 

Jasper looked intrigued and got up from his chair to walk to Edward’s desk. He sat down on the corner of the desk and looked at his best friend of several years. “Yea, what do you need?” 

Edward sighed, then took a heavy breath. “I need to investigate something and I need you to keep an eye out.” 

“This about your case?” 

“Yea, it is. I’m looking for something specific. Someone has been lifting merchandise and I need to know who is doing it.” Edward replied, tapping his pen on the desk. 

“That’s cool. Just let me know when you need me.” Jasper confirmed, giving his best friend a nod. 

Edward gave him a tight smile. He knew better than to let Jasper in on this, but he needed someone he could trust. He had worked himself into Emmett’s good graces, but it didn’t mean he trusted the man. Opening up his laptop, Edward found out everything he could about James Baker. 

Several hours later, with a file thicker than his arm, Edward shut down his laptop and flicked off the desk light. He reached for the file, closed it, and walked away, giving Jasper a slow nod. 

Later that night, while everyone was off doing their thing, Edward drove quietly around the streets of Echo Park trying to hunt down the stolen goods. Reaching for his cell phone, Edward rang Jasper up and told him where he needed to be. Jasper replied that he could be there half an hour. So Edward had to wait before he could do reconnaissance.

Driving slowly down a darkened alleyway, Edward knew this was an area that he was sure James would hide the stolen goods. Turning off his lights to not attract attention, he pulled behind a warehouse and parked the truck. Hoping that no one would see him sitting there alone, he moved some of his stuff in the floorboard and laid down, preparing himself to nap while he waited on Jasper to get there. 

Halfway through his waiting, a small tapping sound on his window woke Edward. Cracking on eye open, he saw Jasper standing there looking at him impatiently. Getting out, they quietly climbed a ladder that took them to the roof of the warehouse. Edward motioned for Jasper to stay close and keep an eye out. He continued around the roof and snuck into the warehouse through a window he broke. 

Racing down the stairs, flashlight in hand, he saw several things hidden under tarps. Throwing them off, they were cars. Cars with expensive tires. Not finding what he was looking for, he snuck back out and raced along the rooftop. 

Motioning for Jasper, he took the lead and started to climb down the ladder. As he reached the bottom of the ladder, something hard whacked him in the back. Grunting from the unexpected pain, Edward fell onto the dirty ground and promptly passed out. He never felt strong hands grab his leather jacket nor drag him in the back of the warehouse away from prying eyes. 

“He sounds like a fucking cop!” Jake snarled, pushing the barrel of the gun in Edward’s cheek, which woke him up. 

He rolled and grunted on the dirty asphalt, his eyes closed and his head pounding. It felt like a jackhammer cranked in his head. Sitting up, he watched Emmett stepped out of the shadows. His normally blue eyes were dark and menacing. 

Emmett crossed his arms and glared at Edward, who had yet to move. “Edward, this is one of those moments you need to think carefully about what you will say.” 

Edward nodded his head slowly and sat up as Jake pulled the gun off him. He had to think fast. If he said the wrong thing, they would shoot him and his case would be over, just like his life. Gasping for air, he held the back of his head to keep thinking. Hoping that Emmett would be patient long enough for Edward to come up with an excuse. 

“Em, this is about Race Wars.” He took a breath as he began to weave his excuse. Jake holding the gun to the back of his head kicked him. “I---I just went in there and Hector is gonna be runnin’ three Honda Civics with spoon engines and he came into the auto store the other day and order three of everything.” 

Jake turned to glare at Emmett, who shook his head and kept a steely glare on Edward. Emmett couldn’t believe his fucking ears. What the fuck was this clown going to do? Go around and check everybody’s shit out, one garage after another?

Edward panted and slowly stood up. “You know I can’t lose again, Emmett.” 

“He’s a fucking cop, Em!” Jake shouted, lowering the gun.

“You a cop, Edward?” Emmett asked, eyeing Edward, who was still panting. He turned his eyes away from Em’s intense stare and shook his head at him. There was no way in hell he would tell him the truth.

******

A few minutes later, Emmett, Edward, and Jake piled into Eric’s Volvo and drove away from the warehouse. Half an hour later, they arrived at the same Chinese place from the first race. The three men got out and Eric took off to stand guard. There wasn’t any telling who or what might show up.

Hopping the fence, the men climbed up the ladder and onto the roof. Edward followed Jake, who was in the lead to a vent opening. He watched as Jake climbed down on top of a car and hopped down. Edward followed him, his flashlight ready to find whatever he was going to be shown. Behind him, Emmett came through, shining his own light. 

Looking around in the dark, they found nothing unusual until Jake spotted several cars. “Yo Em, check this out,” he called. Edward was close behind him, his eyes still trying to make out the darkened room. Shining his light onto the car, he saw it had no engine. 

This was curious. While Em and Jake were discussing the engine-less cars, Edward was sneaking around. His light came upon stacks of DVD boxes and he could have smiled and danced. This was the stolen merchandise he was searching for. He almost sighed in relief knowing that Em was probably clear now.

Before he could fully investigate, a phone rang. Someone was arriving and Eric was calling. 

“All right, we got company!” Emmett called out as the three men scattered to find hiding places. 

The lights flipped on and the sounds of engines reverberated throughout the garage. Edward found Emmett hiding behind a red car, a gun ready in his hand in case things got sticky. Pulling his own gun, he turned off the flashlight and waited to see what would happen next. 

Doors opened, and he saw the owner of the auto shop, Ted, with Laurent holding a gun to the man’s head. James was beating the man into the empty compartment. 

“WE HAVE NO ENGINES!” James roared at the man, releasing him. “What do you fucking think is wrong?” 

“What you feeling Laurent?” James asked, removing his jacket and setting it down. “Forty weight? Fifty weight?” 

“A forty weight sounds nice,” Laurent replied, never removing his eyes off Ted nor lowering his gun. 

James grabbed Ted and forced him on the ground while Laurent started pumping the red oil tank. Shoving the nozzle in Ted’s mouth, oil pumped furiously into Ted’s mouth, choking him on it. He couldn’t breathe let alone think about what was happening to him. 

“Where are the engines, Ted?” 

“They’re in the warehouse!” Ted shouted the answer as James let him go. 

Ted laid over coughing and sputtering the oil out of his mouth. He crawled over to kiss James’s shoes only to be kicked away. Emmett, Edward, and Jake looked at each other and realized they needed to get the fuck out. Something wasn’t right, and they needed to find out what it was. 

***** 

The next night, Edward was getting ready for his date with Bella. He donned jeans and a light blue button-up to make sure he at least looked decent for her. As he was getting ready to leave, his phone rang loudly in his pocket. Snatching it out, he checked to see who it was. It was from Jasper. 

“Yeah man...”

“Edward! What the fuck was that last night?” Jasper demanded, barely holding in his anger. 

“Man, I....” Edward sighed and leaned against his truck and ran his free hand through his messy hair. “I don’t fucking know, but I made a break-through.” 

“I thought you were fucking dead man when I saw that big fuck hit you with the gun. Then the other guy in the black shirt... Who the fuck were those guys?” 

He lowered his head, closing his eyes and wondered how much he could tell his best friend. “They—they were Jacob Black and Emmett McCarty.” 

There was silence on the other side of the line. Edward pulled back to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. He could hear his best friend breathing heavily into the phone, so he knew Jasper wasn’t dead. 

“Man, you have to get the fuck out of this! Tell whoever the fuck put you up to it, that you’re done.” 

“I can’t Jas. I need to see this through. I am so fucking close to closing this case.” 

“Fine.” Jasper sighed in resignation. “What you doing tonight?” 

For the first time in days, Edward smiled. “I’ve got a date with Bella.” 

“McCarty’s sister?” 

“Yea.” 

“Good fucking luck there man,” Jasper said, taking a deep breath. “Listen, I gotta go. Alice is here.” 

“I’ll talk to you soon.” 

He hung up the phone and stared at it for a long minute. Jasper was right, he should get the fuck out while he was still alive. But he couldn’t. He was so close to finishing this up. Plus, he couldn’t bail on his date with Bella. 

Getting into the truck, he turned it on and headed toward Echo Park, where Bella would wait for him. Arriving there half an hour later, he parked the car on the curb and killed the engine. Taking a deep breath, Edward ran his hands over his face and shook the unsettledness he was feeling. 

Heading to the front door, Edward knocked and waited patiently. He didn’t have to wait long when the door opened and there stood Emmett. “You here to pick up Bella?” 

“Yea, I am.” 

“You hurt her, I’ll kill you,” Emmett said, glaring at Edward.

“I’ll do my best.” 

“Damn it, Em, leave him alone.” the annoyed feminine voice of Bella said from behind Emmett. 

Pushing him aside, she smiled seeing Edward. He was looking good though she could tell he was tense. “You ready to go?” 

“Yea...” Edward said, motioning for her to follow him. When they got to his truck, he opened the door for her like a gentleman. He knew Emmett was still watching him as he climbed into the driver’s side and started the truck. 

Taking directions from Bella, they soon arrived at Cha-Cha-Cha where they were seated immediately. The late hour was nice with so few people inside, though Edward figured it was about to change. 

Sitting across from her, they chatted about their lives even with Edward editing his current profession. He wanted to know how her brother became involved in racing.  

“Our dad raced. It’s in the McCarty blood,” she took a bite of her Ropa vieja. Edward smiled at her not knowing anything about his own dad. 

“What about you?” 

“What about me?” he asked, chuckling and picking at his dinner. 

“When did you start racing?” 

“That,” Edward chuckled again and reached for his water. Taking a sip, he figured the best answer was an honest answer. “I started when I got my license. I had a rough time with juvie.” 

“You boosted cars?” she asked figuring it out. 

“Something like that. I just like the feel of racing. Makes you feel...” 

“... Free,” Bella finished for him. Edward nodded at her and took another bite of his chicken. 

They sat in silence for a minute, but Edward kept checking her face every so often which emitted a smile from her. Half an hour later, he pushed his plate back and sighed feeling full. 

It had been a great first date. The getting to know one another while keeping up with the lie about his past was boring yet interesting. Walking her out to the truck he stopped her and turned her around to look at him. He better do this before he took her home and Emmett pulled a gun on him. 

She looked at him questioningly but smiled when she realized his intentions. Closing her eyes, she felt his lips on hers. When she didn’t slap him, Edward pushed into the kiss, his tongue slipping out to graze her lower lip, asking for entrance. When she gave it, she was thankful he was holding onto her or else she would have fallen. 

When they broke apart some minutes later, Bella realized that yes, it had been a great date.

 


	5. “Dude, you can’t bet your dad’s Jetta.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry for the long wait. Chapters 5-7 were typed in November 2019 and with the craziness of the holidays, I never got around to editing and posting. Over the next few days, I am going to edit and post the last 3 chapters and be finished.

Edward woke with a start. Cracking an eye open, he looked around seeing his room. The darkness from the drawn drapes kept him from becoming blind. Turning his head toward the beeping of his alarm clock, Edward noticed it was half-past seven in the morning. 

Sighing, he flopped his head against the soft pillow and ran his hand over his face before forcing himself to sit up in bed. Running his fingers through his unkempt hair, he swung his legs over the bed and grimaced. 

He needed to report about what he, Emmett, and Jake found the other night. Edward knew he was putting it off believing he was sure that it wasn’t Emmett. It was James Baker and that asshole cousin of his. Pushing the door to the bathroom opened, he stripped out of his boxers and turned the water on for the shower. 

After a hot shower fifteen minutes later, he stepped out and reached for a towel. Toweling off, he ran his hand over the mirror and did his morning ritual. Back in his room, he reached for a grey tee-shirt and black jeans. 

Shoving his feet into his Nike’s, Edward grabbed his keys and sped out of the driveway. On a normal day, he would head to the station to meet up with Jasper and be briefed on the day-to-day, but this was different. Passing through the early morning streets of Los Angeles, it was wide awake and ready for a new day. 

Passing by a Jack in the Box, Edward’s stomach growled. Pulling into the drive-thru, he ordered breakfast and a coffee. Once he got his food, he opened the bag and felt his mouth water. Sipping on his hot coffee, Edward merged onto the Santa Monica Freeway toward Beverly Hills.

Traffic slowed down halfway through his trip and Edward ate his breakfast while sitting for ten minutes. Tossing the paper bag into the passenger floor, he sipped on the cooling coffee and smiled as the traffic picked back up as he passed W 17th St. 

Cruising along the I-10, Edward felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Sliding his hand in the front pocket of his jeans, he flipped it open, seeing it was from Bella. He grinned like an idiot reading her message. She wanted to see him again for another date. 

Sounds like the first one went well. Laying the phone in his lap, Edward took Exit 6 for Robertson Blvd and took a right heading into Beverlywood. Moving through this part of the city was fairly easy with light traffic and soon enough he was leaving the city behind and heading into the ‘hills’ of Los Angeles. 

Turning onto the road toward the undercover house the LAPD & the FBI was using, he parked his truck and finished the last mouthful of coffee before tossing it beside the paper bag. 

Climbing out of the truck, he felt sweat prickle on the back of his neck. Walking toward the front door, he could hear people inside talking. Pulling the door open, no one spoke or looked as he walked inside and headed toward the kitchen where he was accosted by Sgt. Swan and Agent Dwyer. 

“My superiors are flying out tomorrow and I want to show them something! These Asian punks have all the signs of psychotic behaviors. Now tell me why shouldn’t move on James Baker right now?” Agent Dwyer demanded, stopping in front of Edward.

“Because all we have is behavior. Let me get some hard evidence....” 

“What we have is probable cause and we have truckers arming themselves for some good old-fashioned vigilante mayhem.”

“Tell us about Hector, Edward...” Sgt. Swan spoke up, closing a file case. 

Edward leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. He felt defeated and tired. This case was finally starting to wear on him. “Hector is still working on the engines but the tires don’t match.” 

“Tell me about McCarty,” Sgt Swan asked, turning to look at Edward. 

Edward hid the grimace on his face. While he knew that McCarty could be suspect, deep down he was really hoping it was all James, “McCarty is too controlled for this. Like he will go suicidal on semi-trucks? Maybe his buddy Jake, but he’s too stupid to pull it off.” 

Before Edward could bail out on his superiors, the asshole David had to talk trash about Bella. He said he would get off on the surveillance photos of her too before Edward pushed him hard enough, David flew across the room. 

Sgt. Swan stopped him and pushed him back. Edward kept his eyes on David while Sgt. Swan threw McCarty’s file at him and told him to read it again. 

“I need a few more days....” Edward said, finally having enough of the bullshit that was being thrown at him. Storming out of the house, he climbed back into his truck. Slamming his hands on the steering wheel, he bit back a frustrated scream. 

This shit was getting way too deep for him and he didn’t know if he was going to come out of it alive. Peeling out of the driveway, he headed back toward Emmett’s garage. There he knew Bella would be there. Bella, who seemed to calm him down as soon as he saw her. Bella, who knew exactly what to say to him. Her snark and her beautiful smile are what he needed right now. 

Cruising down Beverly Blvd, he took the scenic route once he learned there was a wreck on the 101 and traffic through Hollywood would be a fucking nightmare. He knew he needed to call Jasper up and find out what he was up too, but something held him back. 

As much as he wanted his best friend to know what was going on, he didn’t want him involved. He passed several fast foods and sit-down restaurants, making him hungry. Instead of greasy food, he wanted a specialty made sandwich made by Bella. 

Entering Echo Park a few minutes later, he turned down a familiar street and park his truck in front of McCarty’s Market. He hoped Bella was inside working on something where he could bug her for a while. Climbing out of the car, he noticed it was far too quiet for Tuesday afternoon. 

As he stepped into the market, a blast of cold air hit him on the face and he sighed seeing no one sitting at the counter. Taking a seat, he heard the shuffling of shoes. Looking up, he saw Bella standing before him. 

“Hey, you...” she said in a soft soprano voice. 

Edward smiled and reached across the counter and pulled her into a kiss. He weaved his fingers in her luscious dark locks and held her still for a few minutes. When they broke the kiss, Edward returned her smile. 

“What can I get you?” Bella asked, resting her elbows on the countertop. 

“A tuna sandwich and a coke,” Edward replied, adjusting his body onto the barstool. 

Bella smiled at him and turned away from the counter to walk behind another. She kept her eyes on Edward as she scooped the cold tuna onto a slice of white bread. Grabbing another slice, she pressed the top slice down and reached for a paper towel. 

“Bad day?” she asked, coming back around the counter to place the sandwich in front of him. Reaching underneath the countertop, she pulled out a coke and set it down. Edward reached for it and cracked it open before taking a long pull. 

Setting it down, he reached for the sandwich and paused before biting down. “You could say that. One of those days you don’t want to walk into work because you know it will be a shitstorm.” 

“Oh, yea,” Bella said, leaning back onto the counter. “I know those days.” 

“So what are your plans for tonight?” Edward swallowed his bite of the sandwich before asking. 

Bella shook her head, her hair falling around her, “I don’t know. No one has made plans with me.” 

“You wanna grab dinner tonight? Say about nine?” 

“Yea, that sounds great,” Bella said, giving him a quick smile before grabbing a thick notebook. They sat in silence for a moment before the front door opened. Edward sat his sandwich down and turned around. Emmett walked in flanked by Rosalie. 

Tipping his chin at Emmett, Edward turned around to pick up his sandwich. A clap on the back from Emmett as he passed by, Edward watched as Emmett and Rosalie waved at Bella as they disappeared into the back room. 

Edward shrugged and popped the last bite into his mouth and chewed it quickly. Grabbing the half-empty cake can, he downed it and set it back down. Pushing himself off the barstool, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Tossing a ten on the countertop, he leaned forward and grabbed Bella again and kissed her soundly on the mouth. 

“I’ll see you tonight. Your place?” Edward mumbled against her lips. 

“Yea, that sounds great.” 

Edward leaned back and looked around to see if Emmett was nearby. Not seeing him, he turned away from Bella and walked out into the sweltering LA heat. Climbing into his truck, he turned it over and reclined in his seat, letting the cool air from the AC do its magic. He smiled, knowing he had another date.

 

********************

Later that evening, Edward pulled up to the McCarty house with a party in full swing. He had to park across the street since the driveway was full. Shaking his head, he grinned seeing someone hanging out from the upstairs window. Walking across the street, he glanced left and right before running. Stepping onto the sidewalk, he ran a hand through his messy hair and climbed the stairs. 

He stepped onto the mat and knocked loudly on the door. Apparently, no one heard him until he knocked again as someone was passing by the door. A tinkling of a wind chime was the only sound on the porch. Shifting his feet, Edward shoved his hands in his pockets as he waited. The door opened a second later, revealing the one fucking person he didn’t want to see.

“What the fuck are you doing here, pretty boy?” Jake sneered at Edward. “No one invited you.” 

“I fucking did,” Bella said coming down the stairs. “Now get the fuck out of my way.” 

Edward chuckled as she pushed Jake aside. His breath caught in his throat seeing her dressed in an off the shoulder yellow dress. She looked beautiful. “You ready to go?” 

“Yea, I am.” Bella shot him a grateful look.

Taking her hand in his, he led them down the steps and toward his truck. Ever the gentleman, he opened her door, earning him a kiss as a reward. Climbing into his side, he turned the truck on and sped off. 

Turning onto Sunset Blvd, he turned his head to glance at Bella, who smiled back at him. 

“I’m sorry for Jake,” she said, gazing out the window. 

“What for?” 

“For always being such an asshole to everyone. He’s known me since I was a kid and thinks he’s like my protector or something. I have Emmett for that,” she huffed. Edward realized this was an old issue. 

“It’s not a big deal. He needs to learn to keep his mouth closed,” he agreed as he switched lanes. The first date they had, Edward had let Bella pick the place but tonight it was his turn. 

Turning into the parking lot, Edward winced from the brightness of the restaurant. Lanterns hung from the roof, letting off a brilliant glow of welcoming and festivities inside. Parking his truck, Edward hopped out and rushed to the other side to open the door for Bella. 

It might be the 21st century, but he was still a gentleman. Taking her hand, he led them inside the building. As they stepped into the lobby of the restaurant, Edward’s senses were overwhelmed with the aroma of sweet, savory, and bold scents of food and beer. 

The hostess led them to a small table outside where they could dine. There was another couple eating alfresco but kept to themselves. The couple had no intention of bothering Edward and Bella. Their server took their drink order, she left them alone. 

“So why do you work for your brother?” Edward asked, playing with the straw in his drink. 

Bella chuckled and closed her menu. “It’s easy. I mean we both run the garage. He does all the mechanic work and I take care of the books, why?”

Edward shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the menu briefly before turning his eyes back to her. “Just wondering. I just figured you’d want to do something more with your life.” 

“Oh?” Bella asked, leaning closer from her seat across from him. “Like what would I do?” 

Again, he shrugged. He wasn’t sure why he asked the question. Maybe he was hoping she would say something that would keep her brother innocent. “Don’t know, what do you like to do?” 

“I like to cook.” 

“Then go to culinary school or work in the kitchen at a restaurant.” 

She scoffed at him, shaking her head and reaching for her menu again. “As if he’d let me.” 

Their server arrived in time to keep Edward from shoving his foot in his mouth and asked what they wanted. Edward ordered the Lechón Asado while Bella chose something lighter, Camarones al Ajillo. The server smiled at both of them and took their menus.

Unbeknownst to the young couple, Emmett and his crew hijacked another semi-truck. This time, they were successful with no causalities. Bella didn’t know about her brother’s extracurricular activities, nor did she want to know that her brother was criminal, despite going to jail.

Edward smiled at Bella as he paid their server, hoping to get out of there quickly. Taking her hand in his, he pushed his chair in and led her out of the restaurant and toward his truck in the half-empty parking lot. Pushing her against the door, Edward loomed over her and pressed his lips against hers.

They kissed hungrily, wanting more from each other. As they kissed, Edward opened her door and helped her in before running back to his side and climbing into the driver’s seat. A few minutes later, they peeled out of the parking lot and took La Cienega Blvd toward I-10. 

Once they merged, Edward had difficulty driving, knowing that his addiction was sitting in the passenger seat. He could feel her eyes watching him as he merged onto the I-10 and began weaving in and out of the late-night traffic.

Thankfully, it was a late night, and he knew how to drive. The city lights of downtown Los Angeles gleamed like a beacon from this left side as they passed the city before exiting on 16A. 

Bella squirmed in her seat, thankful it was dark in the truck. That kiss he gave her blew her away, and she wanted more. No man had ever kissed her like that. She wanted more. Bella reached over and placed her hand on his thigh, squeezing it gently. 

She watched him as he drove noticing he was an exceptional driver. No wonder Emmett was partial to him if only for Edward’s driving. Tearing her eyes away from Edward, she looked around and realized they were somewhere near Huntington Park. So he lived out here, did he? 

Sitting back into the soft cushion of the chair, Bella watched with interests as he drove down a dimly lit road and pulled into a non-descript house. It was one of those houses that could have been built anywhere in California. 

Once he parked, Edward turned off the truck and nearly jumped out of his truck. Rushing around, he slowed his steps, as if not to appear eager and opened Bella’s door gently. He stepped back as she climbed out of the truck and closed the door. 

Taking her hand, he led her through the empty garage and into his house. Flipping on the light, he tossed his keys on the counter and turned around to see Bella’s eyes take his kitchen in. Pulling her close to him, he leaned down and kissed her. The last thing he remembered was nearly tripping over his shoes as they fell into bed. 

A ringing noise woke Edward. He was sleeping comfortably behind a naked Bella who was lightly snoring. Reaching for his phone in his pants beside the bed, he flipped it open. 

 _“The hijackers have hit again. We have decided, we move on James Baker at 1700 hours. If you agree, just say yes_.”  Sgt Swan said. 

“Yes.” 

“Who is that?” Bella asked, waking up to hearing Edward talking. 

Instead of answering her, Edward leaned forward, giving her a smile before kissing her mouth. They kissed slowly as Edward pushed them back toward the bed. 

 

*****************

 

The next day was sunny and clear for a day of busting in someone’s home. Edward stood around with the rest of members of the force along with SWAT, preparing to infiltrate James Baker’s home. He squinted against the harsh sunlight and hoped he was doing the right thing. He hoped it was James and not Emmett. 

“You ready to go?” Jasper asked, coming to stand beside him.

Edward’s eyebrows raised to his hairline. “You’re coming along?” 

“Fuck yeah, I am. I can’t wait for this. Busting down a door....” 

“It’s not like this is your first time...” Edward muttered, his mood shifting around. 

Shoving the black balaclava over his face, he took a shuddering breath hoping he didn’t forget to breathe. The smell of cotton busied its way into his nostrils and he slapped his hat on his head. 

FBI, SWAT and the local cops rushed toward the many unmarked cars waiting to carry them toward James Baker’s house. Edward and Jasper climbed into separate cars. Half the cars would find Laurant and the rest would be on James Baker. 

Across town, police found Laurant having an early lunch with his crew. They rushed in guns out searching for him. Laurant sprung to his feet and tried to escape just to have some cop body slam him on the ground before forcing handcuffs on him. 

Edward kept his eyes on the back of the passenger seat. His mind drifted from what he was doing and what he did last night. The feel of Bella’s soft skin against his had him wishing he was with her instead of here. His eyes flicked out the black-tinted windows to see they had pulled into an upper-middle-class neighborhood. 

Parking the SUVs at the end of a cul-de-sac, Edward followed the running cops toward a nice two-story white home with the standard burnt orange roof. 

Inside James Baker and his family did not understand what was about to transpire. 

Black uniform officers kicked in the front door as everyone moved in to hunt down James Baker. Three officers found him sitting in the dining room eating with his family. Their guns aimed at him. Edward stood to the side, his gun trained on the rest of the family. 

He watched in with trepidation as a man, who he presumed was James’s father, slap him before the police cuffed and dragged James out of his home. Edward never noticed the hate coming from James’s face as the police dragged him out of his home. Edward lowered his gun and followed the squad out, stopping for a second to glace at Sgt. Swan. 

Returning to the undercover house later that night, Edward walked over the bridge and into the house where he found Agent Dwyer on the phone talking. Taking a seat, he wished he was anywhere but here at the moment. 

Yes, they arrested James Baker. Now they were waiting on what evidence they could compile against him to take him to trial, then hopefully jail. The house was empty except for Sgt. Swan who was nodding off and Agent Dwyer who was on the phone talking quickly.

“The DVDs were purchased legally.” Agent Dwyer’s voice came from the back of the house. “All we have on them is some illegal gun purchases and a few speeding tickets.”

Edward refused to turn around and look at Agent Dwyer. He, like everyone else, believed it was James. His gut twisted violently as he realized that Emmett was one of the hijackers. This would complicate things between him and Bella. 

“Is this the intelligence we will get from you, Cullen?” Agent Dwyer spat, walking into what used to be the living room. 

Edward turned around slowly, keeping his face controlled. “You’re gonna pin this on me? You can’t do that!” he said coming to his feet. 

“Oh yes, I can. I can pin this on whoever I want.” Agent Dwyer retort. “Oh, and by the way, I don’t care if you have to put a gun to someone head, you have 36 hours to crack this case or you might want to think about another career.” 

Dogs howled in the distance as Edward stormed out of the house, Sgt. Swan stopped him claiming it has to be McCarty. No one else could have the motive to do this. Edward stopped in his tracks, listening to his superior. That gut-wrenching feeling was back. 

“I know you’ve been lying to me, but what I wanna know is why you can’t get past Bella to figure this out.” 

Edward’s head snapped around to stare at Sgt Swan. The man stood there in his jacket and slacks with balding hair, the look of contemplation on his face as he tried to help Edward out of this situation and bag McCarty. 

“Listen, I know you like the girl, but this is your job. Your job is to catch the criminal. No matter who it is.” Sgt. Swan stressed. 

“He won’t go back to prison,” Edward mumbled. 

“Well, he may not get a choice.” 

Edward turned and refused to look at his superior, he was lost in his thoughts about what he needed to do. What was right and what was easy? The right thing to do was to catch McCarty doing something illegal. The easy was... well he didn’t want to think about the easy way. 

The thoughts plagued him as he drove home that night. His eyes steady on the surrounding traffic, he barely noticed when he pulled into his driveway. He wanted to call Bella. He wanted to warn her and tell her who he was. Maybe she could get out before shit got ugly. 

He wanted out. If he had not taken the case, he would be here. Could he really do it? Really bring in McCarty—someone he had grown close to over the past few weeks? Could he do it to Bella? He could see her now. Tears streaming down her face as her eyes threw daggers toward him. He knew she would try her best to kill his ass for lying to her and her family. 

 

******

 

The next afternoon found Edward climbing into the driver's seat of the ten-second car he owed Emmett. Emmett’s crew had taken care of the rest of the work and the car looked like it could win races—as long as the driver didn’t fuck up. 

Emmett climbed into the passenger seat, a stack of files in his hands. Placing his hands on the steering wheel, he ignored two of Emmett’s crew, who were standing around. 

Turning the car on, he vaguely heard the cheers of the crew before he sped off. The roar of the engine hot in his ears. He could feel the rush in his veins. The way the car moved underneath was precise, and it felt like it called to him. His other car, the one he wrecked was nothing compared to the fine craftsmanship of Emmett’s crew. 

Speeding along the coast, neither Edward nor Emmett spoke until they came to a red light. The glaring sun poured down on them as the heat soaked into their clothes. Coming to a stop, the men glanced over at a car. 

“What’s the retail on a car like that?” Edward asked, smirking. 

The guy in the driver’s seat sneered at him, running his hands over the steering wheel. The woman in the passenger seat looked over intrigued by the scene. 

“More than you will ever afford. Ferrari.” 

Edward nodded at the man, unimpressed. If there was one thing he hated the most was an asshole. Especially a rich asshole. He and Emmett stared at the man, who revved the engine to the Ferrari. Edward, like all men, wanted a Ferrari. 

“Smoke him,” Emmett ordered Edward, who planted his foot onto the accelerator and gunned it. 

Both vehicles were neck and neck as they raced down the stretch of highway. The wind whipping around them as Edward kept his eyes on the road. The blur of orange whipped by any passerby. Weaving in and out of traffic, he never realized Emmett holding on for dear life. He was fully concentrated on winning this impromptu race. 

He was half a mile ahead of the black Ferrari when Emmett told him to pull over at a side of the road restaurant. Pulling into a parking spot, Edward got out of the car. Closing the door, he watched as the Ferrari zoomed past them. 

Walking into the restaurant, he smiled at the server who seated them by the window. Edward sat down, his mind a whirlwind of the possibilities that Emmett could be the leader of the hijackers and he wished he wasn’t sitting across from him. 

This friendship, if you will, was something that Edward was true about. Everything else was all a lie. Did he want to turn Emmett in—if they found him guilty? Fuck, no. He didn’t want to destroy what he was unknowingly building. 

 

A family. 

 

“So what’s the problem?” Emmett asked him, setting down a file on the chair beside him.

“N—Nothing, Em,” Edward replied, feeling the frustration build in him. It was a waiting volcano inside him. 

“Something is wrong, I can see it. So spill.” 

“I have my good days and I have my bad days,” Edward replied, vaguely averting his eyes away from Emmett’s. Truthfully, he believed that if he looked at Emmett, he would spill his secrets. 

The conversation he had with Sgt. Swan ran through his mind. He needed to complete his job. Edward realized that he needed to change tactics. His boss, his job was riding on him finding out who the hijackers were. Possibly he was sitting across from him. Pushing his fries around on the plate, he frowned at the fries. 

“You know you can’t lose your cool man,” Emmett said calmly reaching for a popcorn shrimp. “You can make some real money if you keep your head.” 

“Real money? Really, Emmett?” Edward said, pushing the food away from him. He could feel Emmett’s eyes on him and wondered where this was going. 

“Yea...” Emmett drawled, popping the shrimp in his mouth. 

“I barely make enough as it is working for the auto store. I need to make a bit more on the side... like you,” he finished, reaching for another fry and dipping it in the ketchup. 

“Like me? What do you mean?” 

“I’m not stupid,” Edward snapped, looking out at the car in the parking spot. “I know there is no way in hell you make enough at your garage to pay for everything you won. There must be something more that you’re doing, and I want in on it.” 

He watched Emmett think slowly about what he said. Maybe, just maybe he finally got through to the man. They eyed each other for a long minute, both contemplating one another. Until Emmett conceded and reached into the pocket of his opened shirt and pulled out a small white business card. 

The card slid slowly across the wooden plank table and right into Edward’s hands. Finally! Fucking something was finally going his way. He looked down and gingerly picked up the card and looked at it. It was directions...to Race Wars. 

Holy fuck and damnation. In his mind, Edward nearly stomped his foot in frustration. Directions to Race Wars? The fuck was this going to prove to Emmett that he wanted in on the heists. 

..."You do well here, then we’ll talk." he barely heard Emmett reply over his mental screaming. 

 

*******************************************

 

The next day was blistering hot as the whole crew drove out the fucking desert where they hosted Race Wars. When the rocky and dry landscape of Southern California graced his eyes, he tried gearing himself up to a race. It was going to be the race. The race that would secure him on Emmett’s crew. 

And a way to catch a criminal. 

As he pulled into the long drive toward Race Wars, Edward leaned back into the driver's seat and looked out the window. Driving up to the gate, he could see it was fully packed with beautiful girls and men with lots of money. Security was everywhere. 

He did not miss the sign that said this was government property either. These people were not only breaking the law with illegal street racing, but they were trespassing on government property. He almost felt like a criminal as he drove through the gate. 

He could see a row of cars, each had the hoods opened. Men and women were tuning and prepping their cars for when it was their turn to race. There were tarps to keep the sun off the patrons and music to keep them entertained. 

In the distance, he could hear the roar of engines as two more cars faced off on the drag strip. The cheering was almost louder than the music. 

Finding Emmett’s trailer a few minutes later, Edward parked his car and got out. As he did, Eric stepped out of the trailer. His eyes were wild, and he twitched a bit, his feet rushing toward the drag strip. 

“What’s up Eric,” Edward said, chasing after the energetic man. 

“‘Sup Edward...” 

“What are you doing, Eric?” 

“Gonna drive. Got my pink slips in my hand.” 

“Dude, you can’t bet your dad’s Jetta.” 

“Oh fucking yes, I can. The dude is driving a piece of shit Honda, I got this. I can’t lose.” he said confidently. 

“Shit!” Eric said, rushing across the way and getting into his car. 

“Who is he racing?” Edward asked stopping on the passenger side of the car. 

The competing car pulled up beside Eric’s and the driver rolled down the window. In the driver seat sat James Baker. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the three men. Edward could see the hatred in his eyes. He didn’t like it. Something bad was about to happen, he fucking knew it.

“Eric, you can’t do this...” Edward pleaded with him as Eric ignored him and pushed down on the accelerator. 

Edward stood back, his hands fisted in his hair and watched as Eric monumentally lost to James Baker. He could almost hear the anguished scream from Eric as James flew past the finish line. 

He and the others watched as Eric kept driving and pulled away from the race. 

“The fuck happened?” Emmett asked watching the car disappear. 

“He just raced for slips... and lost.” 

“Shit.” Emmett cursed, trying to rub away an incoming headache. 

Edward sighed and wished Eric had listened to him. This was a fuck-up from hell. A minute later, James pulled up to their trailer demanding where Eric was going.

“Where the fuck is he going?” James pointed at the disappearing car. 

“Gonna get it washed..” 

“Well, you need to bring back my car!” James demanded, stepping closer to Emmett. Edward took a step closer, his eyes on James.

“McCarty!” James bellowed following Emmett toward the trailer. Edward caught Emmett’s eye and the tiny shake of his head, telling him to keep his ass back. 

“SWAT came into my house and disrespected me and my family. All because someone ratted me out... and I know it was you!” 

In a flash, Emmett had turned around and threw a right cross against James’s face and catching him off guard. James fell down into the dirt, while Security started pushing their way through.

Pinning him to the ground, Emmett kept punching him in the face, fucking his face up. Edward ran over and pulled Emmett off him before security pushed him away and took over. Standing there huffing, Edward ran his hands through his hair and prayed Bella wasn’t around to see her big brother fighting. 

Deciding to let it go, Edward stood there and looked around at the crowding people. The security stopped to let them know they were giving them a warning and one more incident, they would kick them out of Race Wars. Nodding his head, Edward walked off to find a beer and a moment to chill. His race was coming soon, and he had to prepare.


	6. "You win, we talk."

Chapter 6 “You win, we talk.” 

 

The day dragged on for Edward, who was sweating in the immense California desert heat. Bella arrived an hour ago, and he had yet to greet her. Sitting on the hood of his car, he ran his hands over his face remembering what James Baker said. 

 

None of them knew it was Edward who ratted James out, not Emmett. He was going to let Emmett take the fall for this to keep his cover. Shuffling his feet, he jumped feeling the sting of a slap on the back of his upper shoulders. 

 

“You ready for your race?” Emmett asked, coming to stand beside him. In his hand were two cold beer. Handing Edward one, the tired cop took it and took a long pull. 

 

“Yea, when is it?” he asked, lowering the bottle from his lips. 

 

“In an hour. I don’t know who your competition will be, but,” Emmett paused turning to look at Edward. “You win this, we will talk.” 

 

“Talk about what?” Edward probed. 

 

Emmett smiled at him and took a swig of his beer, “Win the race, Edward.” 

 

Emmett tapped him on the back again and walked off. Edward sighed and titled his head back, letting the sun heat his face up. McCarty would not divulge his secrets that easily. Especially to someone he barely knew. 

 

Around him was the buzzing of engines and the small roar of talking people. Two scantily clad women passed him, eyeing him as they did, but he wasn’t interested. His heart, unbeknownst to him, belonged to Bella. When he finally cracked this case, and the suspect was Emmett, it was going to shatter whatever relationship he built with Bella. 

 

Or he could do the opposite. 

 

He could let Emmett go if he was caught in the act. Could he let him go? Give the man a second chance at life. He would lose his job as a cop if he did. He would be on the run from the police until he cleared his name. 

 

Finishing the beer, he pushed himself off his car and wandered around the crowded desert. No-one stopped to speak to him but it was fine with him. Finding a trash can, he chucked the beer in it and fished his phone out of his pocket. 

 

Scrolling through the contacts, he stopped seeing Jasper’s name. How long had it been since they spent time together outside of work? Pushing the phone icon, it surprised him to hear it ringing. After a few rings, the call connected. 

 

_“Sup Edward.”_

 

_“Hey, Jas. How are you?”_

 

_“I’m fine.... he drawled, realizing this wasn’t a social call. “What’s wrong, Edward? The case not going anywhere?”_

 

_“Oh no, it’s going. I am close. Closer than I was the night they nearly caught us.”_

 

_“Is it the woman, Bella?”_

 

_Edward chuckled to himself. Here he needed a support call from his best friend. He paused his pacing and looked out at the horizon. The roar of two engines speeding up caught his attention._

 

_“Man, where are you?”_

 

_Edward looked around, hoping nobody was listening in. “It’s called Race Wars.”_

 

_“Ah, I’ve heard of it. Illegal drag racing in the desert.”_

 

_Edward was shocked, “How in the fuck you know this?”_

 

_Jasper chuckled, “I know many things, Edward.”_

 

_“Asshole,” Edward muttered._

 

_“But you still love me.” Jasper snarked._

 

_“When this is over, we need to do something.”_

 

_“Like what?”_

 

_“Fuck if I know. Just something. Shoot pool, play ball, watch a fucking game.”_

 

_“Yea, we do. Listen, are you racing?”_

 

_“Kind of have too..”_

 

_The line went quiet. Edward pulled the phone away from his ear to look at the screen. Nope, he was still connected. Putting the phone back to his ear, he heard Jasper speak. _

 

_“ You have to race, don’t you? You have to find out if McCarty is the hijacker?” _

 

_“Yea, unfortunately.” Edward could hear Jasper sigh on the other end of the line._

 

_“Just be fucking careful, you feel me?”_

 

_Lowering his head, Edward closed his eyes, “Yea, I feel ya.”_

 

_Out of the corner of his eye, Edward saw Emmett approaching. He said nothing, but he didn’t need too, it was time for Edward’s race._

 

_“Listen Jas, I gotta go....”_

 

_“Yea, me too. I’m taking Alice out tonight. I’ll call you soon, okay?”_

 

_“Yea, soon....”_

 

Before he could chicken out and confess his soul, Edward closed the phone and shoved it in his pocket. He could feel Emmett’s eyes on him and the unasked questions of who was he talking too and if he was ready. Edward really didn’t want to deal with it. 

 

“You ready for this?” Emmett asked his voice filled with caution. 

 

Giving him a fake smile, Edward turned to him and nodded, “Yea, I am.” 

 

Neither of them said a word as they pushed their way toward the roped-off area where two drivers would race. Edward stopped seeing his car already sitting there, waiting on him. Telling him, it was time to finally prove his worth. That he could drive, that he could win. 

 

Winning led to solving this case. 

The failure resulted in the loss of his job and possibly his life. 

 

The cheering of the crowd behind him surged him forward. Walking to the driver’s side door, he placed his hand on the handle before opening it up. The interior of the car was like the first car he raced. Taking a seat in the soft leather seat, he sat back and reached for the seatbelt. He barely heard it click as he reached for the key. 

 

Turning the car on, the rumble of the engine soothed his nerves a bit. He could do this. Tapping his foot impatiently, he stole a glance at the other driver. The bright yellow car with black racing stripes nearly blinded him in the later afternoon sun, but it was the driver that concerned him. 

 

The car was nothing if the driver wasn’t good. 

 

The kid behind the wheel looked to be about eighteen. Edward could see the cocky attitude pour off him in waves. The little shit thought he was going to win with his daddy’s money. Edward’s lips curved into a smile as he imagined winning this race just to his this punk cry. 

 

Revving the engine, he waited for the gunshot to begin the race. Seconds after he took his third breath, the bang of the handgun shook him from his thoughts and he slammed his foot on the accelerator. He could hear the squealing of the tires as the smell of burning rubber entered his nostrils. 

 

Tuning it out, Edward shifted gears flawlessly as if he had been racing for years instead of days. It was only a quarter-mile strip, he could do this. Keeping his eyes on the finish line ahead, Edward glanced to his left as the yellow and black striped car passed him. 

 

Grimacing, his face hardened at the thought of losing. Pushing two buttons on his steering wheel, Edward heard the hiss of the NOS pumped into the engine. The intense acceleration of the car pushed him back into his seat. His eyes widened at the blur of the world passing him by in the late sun. 

 

Soaring across the finish line, Edward whooped with joy. He won. He finally fucking won. Turning the car around, he drove slowly toward the starting line. The crowd of people parted as he came to a slow stop. Putting the car in park, he turned the engine off and sat back in his seat. He watched the small crowd cheer for him. 

 

He found Emmett and Rose standing in the crowd. A small nod of Emmett’s head confirmed that he would join them on the next raid. He let out a harsh breath. He could feel the adrenaline running through his veins at the opportunity before him. 

 

Getting out of the car, he pocketed his keys and gave an encouraging smile to those still left cheering him. As the door closed, he pushed through the disappearing crowd to be barreled over by a flash of dark hair. 

 

Wrapping his arms around a very ecstatic Bella, he leaned his head back to receive the kiss she gave him. Hands wandered as Edward grabbed Bella’s delectable ass and gave it a tight squeeze. Her hands were fisted in his shirt, holding him still for her lip assault.  

 

“You know, you hurt my sister, I’ll have to kill you,” a voice drawled, breaking the lover’s kiss. 

 

Edward lifted his head to see a smirking Emmett. Rose was hooked to his arm, her eyes wide with joy. There was something about Rose that Edward couldn’t put his finger on. While they had never been friends, they were semi-friendly, as long as it was one to two-word sentences. 

 

Quietly, Edward thought she was a pretentious bitch. To her face, he would smile and nod his head whenever he was in her company. No use hating on Emmett’s old lady, it would ruin whatever he built. 

 

“I don’t plan on hurting her,” Edward lied through his teeth. He wasn’t planning on it until she found out he was a cop, then the pain would set in. He would be lucky if she let him live after that. 

 

“Good. Now we need to talk,” Emmett said, eyeing Edward who was still wrapped around his sister. 

 

“Come on, Em! You guys can talk later,” Bella whined, turning around to face her brother. 

 

Edward watched as Emmett caved to his sister. If there was one thing he learned about Emmett was that he was a family man who loved his crew, his woman and spoiled his sister. He let out a breath of air, dropping his head. He was still in the game, but it wouldn’t be right now. 

 

“Now... where were we?” Bella asked seductively, pulling him close for a searing kiss. 

 

**************************************************

 

Later that night, the party was in full swing. The music was loud, and the alcohol flowed freely. Edward knocked on the door of the trailer and yelled for Emmett. When the door opened revealing Bella, he cursed and looked around. 

 

“Where’s your brother?” 

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“Where. Is. Your. Brother?” Edward demanded slowly.

 

“I don’t know what you mean....” she replied coyly. 

 

“Fuck! You know, don’t you! What the fuck Bella? I want to know why your brother is driving off in the middle of the night. It’s the trucks, isn’t it?” he demanded, his anger finally getting to him. 

 

“Trucks? What trucks?” she snapped, pushing past him and stalking off. 

 

He swore to himself quietly and chased after her. Grabbing her by the crook of her arm, he turned her around to face him. 

 

“What?” she demanded.

 

“Listen to me,” he demanded, getting close to her. “Bella, I am a cop.”

 

“Jesus Edward, what is this?”

 

“The second I walked into the deli, I have been undercover. I am sorry Bella, but I have to know what your brother is doing. Is he the one hijacking the semi-trucks?”

 

She stared at him in disgust. Turning away from him, she stormed off. “You fucking bastard. Leave me the fuck alone!” 

 

Edward raced after her again and turned her around, the tears in her eyes made him feel like a bastard. “Everything I have ever felt or said to you is real. All of it. Right now it’s not about you and me and now it’s serious. If you want nothing to happen to your family. You need to get into the car and help me. Please .... please help me.” he begged.

 

He couldn’t stand seeing her cry. It gutted him, but he needed her help if he was going to save her family from going to jail or being murdered by the armed truck drivers. Every second that she thought things over was another second lost to catch up to the team. Edward wanted to scream out loud. He wanted to tug all the strands of hair from his head. 

 

Finally, Bella nodded and Edward heaved a sigh of relief. Taking her hand, she snatched it away. Clearly, she didn’t trust him any longer. The knife twisted further into his heart. Sliding into the driver’s seat of his car, he turned the car on and waited for her to get in. Once in, they sped off quickly in the darkening sky to chase after her brother. 

 

Neither of them spoke while Edward raced down the main highway back toward Los Angeles. They were miles into the desert, it would be almost impossible to catch up to them now. Edward had to keep faith. His job was on the line. His life was on the line and it was hanging by a bare thread now. 

 

Glancing over at Bella, whose beauty was marred by the worry that was etched on her beautiful face. She was staring out the window, her head resting on the glass. Her eyes were far away as if she wished she wasn’t in the car with Edward. He wanted to reach out and take her hand but he knew she wouldn’t have it. 

 

Sighing, he turned his attention back to the task ahead. The hot Californian sun rose and make its presence known. Edward frowned seeing the sunlight. He wasn’t aware it was late when they left. They should almost be back to civilization soon. 

 

Up ahead, along the long barren road of desert, Edward could make out a contingent of cars. A large truck was in front of them. It took Edward a second to realize they finally caught up with Emmett and his crew. He bet everything Jake and Rose was in on the heist. 

 

Pressing on the accelerator, Edward subconsciously checked to make sure he was strapped in. His gun was located in the glove box in front of Bella, who finally saw what Edward was seeing. He couldn’t turn his head to see what she was going through, he had to make it to the driver before someone died. 

 

Speeding up, he pushed the car to the limit. Watching with tired eyes, he saw the truck swerve as people began jumping out of the cars and hopping onto the semi. One body, that looked like Jake, was on the passenger door when his head snapped back and he ducked. 

 

Edward had a sinking feeling the driver was armed. He could make out the glass spraying everywhere, landing on Jake. The truck swerved again as another body shimmied over to the driver's side. He watched in fascination as the door swung open, throwing the body flat against the truck. Over the roar of the engine, Edward swore he heard a gunshot. 

 

He was finally behind a black unmarked car that he assumed Rose was driving. How they would get away with this using one car, he didn’t know. Suddenly, another shot rang over the roar of the heist as they watched in horror as Jake was thrown from the truck and into the desert sand, hitting a cactus. He watched the other body crawl over the truck and jump onto the black car, holding on for dear life. 

 

Bella’s scream distracted him and he slammed on the brakes to see the semi-truck slam into the black car Rose was driving, pushing them off the road. The driver sped away as the black car rolled twice before landing on the hood. 

 

The car came to a sudden stop. Edward looked at Bella, who had tears streaming down her lovely face, and turned the car off. Ripping his seatbelt from his body, he frantically pushed the door open before sprinting toward the rolled car. 

 

Racing past the rolled car, Edward skidded to a halt seeing Jake laying on the ground, blood pouring out of a gunshot wound. Frantically thinking how he could help save his life, he turned to see Bella helping Emmett up. Edward winced seeing the fury on Emmett’s face. Turning back to Jake, who was moaning in pain, Edward reached for his phone. 

 

Bella and Emmett rushed over to help Edward, who was tying a tourniquet around Jake’s arm to slow the blood flow. Edward instructed Emmett to keep the arm raised. Flipping it open, he quickly dialed emergency to medivac. He didn’t want to blow his cover, but he knew that if they didn’t get Jake to a hospital in ten minutes; he was dead. 

 

“Yea, this is Officer Edward Cullen, I’m off duty M.A.P.D. I need a life flight to roll out right away.” he gasped trying to talk and seeing the fury on Emmett’s face as he rose up to glare at him. “My twenty is Highway 86, mile marker 147.” 

 

Edward swapped the phone to his other ear as he described Jake to the dispatch. As he did, he glanced over at Emmett, who was finally rising to his feet. Emmett turned to look at Bella, who was begging him not to do anything stupid while Edward was trying to save Jake’s life. 

 

 Edward dropped the phone when they realized Jake was going into shock. Everyone rushed to help Jake, but they were slowly losing him. Within six minutes, they heard the blades of a medivac helicopter. 

 

Turning to Emmett and Bella, he realized they didn’t need to be here. Edward would take the fall for this. “You both need to leave now! I can handle this. I will call you when we get to the hospital.” 

 

“No! We’re not leaving you!” Bella shouted over the roaring sound of the helicopter. 

 

“Yes, you are damn it! You can’t get caught here,” he fished out his keys, tossing them to Emmett. “Take my car and go!” 

 

Emmett caught the keys with his right hand, the fury written all over his face. For the first time in a long time, Edward felt fear. Emmett could reach out and snap his fucking neck in a heartbeat, but Edward knew he wouldn’t do that in front of his sister. He loved his sister far too much to do something cruel. 

 

“How are you going to get back?” she asked, coming to her feet. Bella knew he was right, even if she was pissed at him. 

 

“I’ll find a ride,” Edward promised her as the helicopter landed. Giving him a frantic nod, she and Emmett ran for the car and in seconds, sped away with Rose sitting in Bella’s lap. 

 

****************

 

Sitting in the dirt, Edward moved out of the way as the medics swarmed him. Pushing him to the side, Edward watched helplessly as the medics worked on Jake to keep him alive long enough to make it to a nearby hospital. Five minutes later, Jake was strapped to a gurney and pushed toward the helicopter. Edward wearily watched as the helicopter lifted off, carrying Jake. 

 

He didn’t ask what hospital they were taking him too, but he figured Jake could call Emmett when he was out of surgery. Closing his eyes, he felt bone tired. The bright sunlight burned his eyes under the closed lids. Sweat stuck to his clothes. Sighing, he knew his job was toast. He was going to be fucking fired the second he walked into the prescient. 

 

If Emmett didn’t kill him first. 

 

Looking around for his phone, he found it buried under a rock. He must have thrown it when they were trying to keep Jake from going into shock. Flipping it open, he was happy to see the screen wasn’t cracked or damaged. Finding the number he was looking for, he pressed the Send button. 

 

_“Sup Ed.”  Jasper’s voice rang clear._

 

_“I fucked up Jas,” Edward sighed heavily._

 

_“The fuck you mean, you fucked up?”_

 

_“That’s what I mean, I fucked up.”_

 

_“Where are you?”_

 

_“On Highway 86. Mile marker 147.” Edward replied, not really wanting to hear his best friend bitch._

 

_“You’re in the fucking desert!”_

 

_“Yep. Can you come and get me?”_

 

_“Yea, yea. I can be there in two hours  or so. Can you last two hours?” _

 

_“I hope so.”_

 

_“You’re not hurt, are you?” Edward smiled hearing the concern in Jasper’s voice._

 

_“No, I am not hurt. Tired, hungry and thirsty, but not hurt.”_

 

_“Thank God for that. I’ll be there shortly.”_

 

Edward hung up the phone and rose to his feet. Looking around the sandy desert, he realized he didn’t want to be here any longer. Walking toward the highway, he saw the black car rolled over onto the hood. He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain that when Jasper pulled up. 

 

Two long hours later, Jasper’s silver Chevy Silverado slowed to look at the rolled car before coming to a stop in front of Edward. Reaching for the handle, Edward jerked it open and climbed in. The AC was on high as he sat down. Once buckled, Jasper did a U-turn and drove back toward the city. 

 

“Here’s a drink for you,” Jasper said, handing him an oversized water bottle. 

 

“Thanks, man,” Edward said appreciatively, twisting the cap off and guzzling the water quickly. 

 

“So you gonna tell me how you fucked up?” 

 

Edward sighed and lowered the water bottle. “I blew my cover. I caught the ones who were doing the hijacking.” 

 

Jasper said nothing, waiting on his friend to continue with his story. 

 

“But I fucked up when one of the guys was injured. I couldn’t let him die, Jas. I called in medivac to take him to a hospital. I told Bella and Emmett to run like hell. I would call them when I could.” 

 

“You’re a dead man, you know that?” Jasper said, taking his eyes off the road for a second to look at his friend. 

 

“Don’t I fucking know it,” Edward muttered, looking out the window. “I know I’ve lost my fucking job for this too.” 

 

“Not yet, you haven’t. You still have to bring McCarty in.” Jasper reminded him. 

 

Edward sighed and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to tell Jasper that he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t betray Emmett like that. In his time undercover, he had grown close to the McCarty’s. So much that he couldn’t turn them over to the cops. It wouldn’t be right if he did. 

 

Resting his head on the window, much like Bella had earlier, Edward watched as the world pass him by. Jasper merged on the I-10W for the next hundred plus miles. The desert terrain was slow to turn back into city life. Eventually, the skyline of Los Angeles came into focus. 

 

Hunger gnawed at him as they continued to pass by restaurants. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate. He even wondered if there was food in his cabinets. Closing his eyes against the blaring midday sun, he wished for a bed. 

 

Nothing was said until Jasper pulled into the concert driveway of his home. The small two-bedroom house was cheap enough but secure that he didn’t feel threatened by the neighborhood.

 

Jasper parked the truck, wondering what was going through his oldest friend’s mind. It was his duty to catch the criminal and turn him over to the police, but when he was asked about it, Edward clammed up. 

 

Had McCarty gotten under his skin so much that Edward could not bring himself to turn him over? It unnerved the blonde-haired cop that his friend was having second thoughts about his duty. His duty was to uphold the law and to apprehend criminals, not take their side. He and Edward were similar in many ways, but this one thing he was sure he wouldn’t change. 

 

Jasper said nothing as Edward turned, giving him a small smile before climbing out of the truck. He said nothing when the door shut quietly as Edward began the short hike toward the garage that led into the house. Shaking his head, he felt his phone buzz. Sliding his body back, he shoved his hand in his front pocket and pulled out his phone. It was Alice. It was time to head home.


	7. End of the Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who read this fic! I know it took forever to get it done, but I am happy and sad that it's over. I have been debating if I want to do 2 Fast 2 Furious......(Let me know if you comment!)
> 
> Thanks again!

The blaring noise from his alarm woke Edward from a restless sleep. Reaching across the bed, he slammed his hand on the alarm clock, silencing it. Rolling onto his back, he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. The sun poured into the room, blinding him. Heaving a sigh, he turned his head toward the window, lost in thought. 

 

Had it been yesterday when he let Emmett escape? 

 

When Jasper dropped him off last night, he went into the bathroom to strip his clothes off. When he saw his reflection he gagged, rushing to the toilet to throw up whatever was sitting in his stomach. Rising from the toilet, he flushed it and stood shakily on two legs. Glancing in the mirror again, he saw his blood-splattered arms. His neck was freckled with Jacob’s blood. His white shirt was dingy and needed to be thrown away. 

 

He was in the shower for almost an hour scrubbing away blood that couldn’t be seen. Taking the ruined clothes to the backyard, he threw them into a small metal trash can and tossed a match in it. Watching it burn, he knew he would have to decide. A decision on whether he wanted to turn Emmett into the cops or not.

 

Could he let him escape? 

 

It would be his job on the line. He could never become a cop again. This would go on his record. He would become a fugitive first. He would run and run far. He could race, he could make money. Sighing, he trudged back into his house and promptly fell asleep. 

 

Now it was the next morning, and he had not decided yet. Reaching under his pillow for his phone, he pulled it out and opened it. There were several missed calls from work and two text messages from Jasper. Both were asking him if he was coming into work today and what did he plan on doing about McCarty? 

 

Pulling himself out of bed, Edward sat staring at the floor. Rubbing his hands over his tired face he sighed wearily and stood. Once he was dressed, he found his keys on the hook by the garage door. As he sat in the driver's seat of his car, he gazed through the window and into the well-equipped garage. 

 

He didn’t want to come into work today. He could skip a few days of work and hide out until he cleared his head. His decision made, he climbed out of the truck and hurried into the house. Throwing a small overnight bag together, he carefully locked his house up. Returning to the car, he tossed the bag in the passenger seat; it fell with a soft sound. Scooting into the driver's seat, he turned the car on, hearing the engine roar to life and peeled out of the driveway. 

 

He needed to get away. When he arrived, he would shoot his boss a message claiming he was sick or some shit. His superior didn’t need to know what was wrong. Edward knew that if he stepped into the prescient, he would lose his job as soon as he brought Emmett in. If Emmett didn’t kill him first. 

 

Merging onto the I-110 South, he sighed seeing the usual bumper to bumper traffic. Swerving from lane to lane, Edward kept an eye out. His paranoia at an all-time high. It unnerved him he was afraid of seeing cop cars along the 110.  All of them knew what car he drove, and he was afraid they would pull him over and drag him back to the station, sit him down in the interrogation room where they would not only question where Emmett was but his loyalty to the job. 

 

As he drove, he wondered where he would go. He needed a few days to sort his mind. Coming up on the junction of the San Diego Fwy, he made a hasty decision. Taking the right lane, he slowly merged onto the 405, where traffic was at a standstill for almost fifteen minutes. Inch by inch, the traffic cleared as he chased the other vehicles down the San Diego Fwy. His stomach growled as he passed by popular fast-food chains. In his haste to leave the house, he forgot to grab food. Shaking his head, he pushed on until he found the large green sign for Exit 38B. 

 

Slowing to a stop, he discreetly locked the doors and windows to his Supra. Glancing at the red light through his dark sunglasses, he ignored the vagabonds and drug addicts roaming the sidewalk. Given a chance, they would accost him for money. He really didn’t feel like arresting anyone this day. The light flicked green, and he took a left down Western Ave. 

 

The traffic was lighter as he drove down the highway toward the beach. It would be a good place to hide for two days. Taking his time, he drove slowly down Western Ave until he turned onto Del Amo Blvd. Edward knew there was a small hotel in the area somewhere. He just had to find it. 

 

Twenty minutes later, his stomach growling viciously, he turned into the Redondo Pier Inn. Parking the car, he cut the ignition and leaned back into his seat. Taking a breath, he grabbed his overnight bag and climbed out. Locking the truck, he walked into the modernized lobby with its dark grey coloring splashed with orange. He stopped momentarily seeing the large colorful aquarium filled with fish. Maybe for his two-day stay, he would check out the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.  There were people huddled into groups talking animatedly.

 

Stopping in line, he waited with shifting feet until it was his turn. Booking a room for the next two nights, he handed over his card, letting the freckled young man behind the counter run his card. When it was handed back to him, the young man gave Edward a tight smile and instructions on finding his room. 

 

Pushing the card in the slot, he watched it blinked green. As he entered the dark room, Edward threw the curtains open glimpsing a line of businesses. The beach was a ten-minute drive. Tossing his bag on the bed, he sat down on the edge and lowered his head. 

 

The fuck was he going to do? He could hear his phone buzzing in his pocket. Leaning back, he reached into the front pocket and retrieved his phone. Seeing the caller was Jasper, he tossed the phone back on the bed. 

 

He was waiting for a call from Bella. He shook his head; he was sitting by the phone waiting on her to call him. She would either listen to him or tell him to fuck off. He hoped it wasn’t the latter. He wanted to explain to her why he was spying on them.  Flopping back down on the bed, he listened as his stomach growled again, reminding him he needed to eat. 

 

Pushing himself off the bed, Edward grabbed his phone and shoved it in his pocket. Taking one more look around the room, he headed out, making sure he had his key with him. Stepping down the flight of stairs, he decided he could walk around. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from. 

 

Taking a right, a warm breeze past him as he began his journey. Crossing the street, he kept his head down and wished he had brought a hat to cover his head. No one would know he was here, but it was better safe than sorry. The hot sun beat down on the back of his neck as he walked past shops. He paused seeing a Starbucks but shook his head. Coffee and pastries.

 

As he walked, he smelled pizza and hamburgers. Finding a Smashburger, he shrugged stepping inside the restaurant. The inside was decent for a burger place. There were several families sitting around for lunch with rambunctious children. Being seated a few minutes later, Edward quickly scanned the menu, ordering a double spicy jalapeno Baja burger with fries. 

 

Edward left the restaurant half an hour later, feeling full. Rubbing his stomach, he began his walk back toward the hotel. Arriving, he spoke to no one as he climbed the steps to his room. Inside, he sat down on the bed again, idly scratching his nose. Running his fingers through his messy bronze hair, he flopped back down on the mattress. 

 

He wasn’t sure why it was difficult to decide. During lunch, his thoughts were absorbed into feeding himself, but now—alone in his room, he thought again. For the first time in his career, he was finding it hard to do his job. 

 

He knew, of course, the right thing to do was turn Emmett in and move on with his life. They would be reprimanded at work for not showing up and immediately cuffing Emmett. Letting him escape would cost him his job. Staring at the ceiling, he scoffed. He would lose his job, regardless. Except one decision would see him a fugitive, the other—a jobless cop. 

 

What did he have to lose? 

 

****

 

The next two days were like the first one. Edward would wake up early, ignore the calls and messages on his phone and eat breakfast. The second day he was there, he spent it at the beach, staring at the waves and catching a horrible sunburn. He stepped out of the shower later that night to see his pale skin bright red like a lobster. 

 

The last day of his sabbatical found himself at the Aquarium. Spending the day with animals whose only decision making was what to eat and who to avoid. Even the hundreds of humans staring at them did not discourage their regular schedule. His sunburn became a problem for him as he slept and wandered around Redondo. Stopping at a CVS, he purchased a bottle of aloe, which he applied liberally that evening. Laying down on the dry cotton sheets, he felt sticky and uncomfortable. 

 

Returning his key the next morning, he sighed making a final decision. He would visit Emmett and talk to him before returning to the station and turning in his badge. Someone else would have to catch Emmett because he was done. Maybe he would speak to Bella, explain to her why he did it. He confessed the night Emmett left to hijack the truck that his feelings for her were real. They still were.

 

Tossing his overnight bag in the passenger seat of the car, he left the parking lot. Backtracking the way he came in, he found himself turned around but saw the large green sign for I-405 S in Torrence. The traffic, while not heavy, was still congested. A couple of years back he thought about leaving Los Angeles somewhere else. Somewhere that was less crowded.

 

Looping around, he followed the traffic to the I-110 before he was stopped. Looking ahead, Edward leaned his head back and sighed. Half an hour later, he slowly drove past a two-car collision. As the freeway opened up, he maneuvered past several cars. He debated on whether to take an exit and deal with the red lights or keep pace with the rest of the crazy Californian drivers. 

 

Half an hour later saw him pulling up slowly toward Emmett’s house. It seemed like years since he’d been here. Parking the car, he turned off the engine. His eyes scanning the entire area. Just as he was closing the door, the garage doors swung open revealing a pissed off Emmett. 

 

In his hands, Emmett was holding a shotgun. Pointing it directly at Edward, he held his ground. Edward fumbled around for his own gun and cursed realizing he left it at his house. He was unarmed in every way possible. Emmett was going to kill him.

 

“The fuck you think you’re doing here Edward?” Emmett snarled, hiding behind the gun. 

 

“We need to talk Em,” Edward exclaimed, holding his arms up in defense.

 

“The fuck we do! You’re a cop, Edward.”

 

“I know this Emmett, but we still need to talk. Can we not do this out here?” Edward asked, lowering his arms showing the garage. 

 

Emmett stared at him for a minute. If Edward had to guess, he was deciding whether or not to shoot him. Holding his breath, Edward waited patiently for Em to decide. When McCarty lowered his gun. Edward released a breath and slowly edged toward the driveway connecting to the garage. 

 

Following Emmett inside, he blinked against the dim lighting from the dust-stained windows. Surveying the garage, he could see tools of all kinds with knickknacks from ages past. In the middle of the small garage was a black 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. It sat there gleaming like a prized possession in the dirty garage. Edward watched as Emmett walked opposite to him, his gun perched neatly on his shoulder. 

 

“You wanted to talk, so talk.” 

 

Edward stopped in front of the passenger door, keeping his hands to his side, he wished he had a gun with him. “I know what I did was fucked up….”

 

“You’re damn right it was fucked up. You fucking lied to me, Edward. You lied to everyone and then when it was a matter of life or death you tell Bella who you are. You could have told me sooner!” Emmett snapped, interrupting him. 

 

“I couldn’t let anyone die, Emmett. That’s why I told Bella. She needs her brother alive! If me confessing is what took her to listen to me and save you, damn it I was going to do it!” Edward snapped, nearly shouting at Emmett. It surprised him the gun had not moved from his perch on Emmett’s shoulder. 

 

“Where’s Bella and Rose?” 

 

“Gone. Bella doesn’t need to be around scum like you.” Emmett sneered, as he continued his walk around the car. 

 

Edward wanted to say something but held back. If Bella was gone, then she didn’t forgive him. She was still angry with him. He would have to move on and forget her. A woman like was dangerous and beautiful. Eyeing the car, Edward wanted to look inside it and see what it looked like. 

 

“You know something about this car?” Emmett said, his voice changing somberly. Edward’s head snapped up at the change of conversation. “My dad and I built this car when I was a kid. It was the only thing me and him did that I can remember. When he was killed in a stock race accident by Kenny Linder, I locked it up.” 

 

Edward realized that Kenny Linder was the man Emmett nearly beaten to death. He was avenging his father with his own hands instead of letting cops and lawyers handle it. Saying nothing, he watched as Emmett lowered his gun, running his hands over the roof of the Charger. 

 

“There are not a lot of things that scare me, but this car does. I have never driven it. Nor will I.” he confessed, not meeting Edward in the eyes. 

 

Edward didn’t know what to say to Emmett. He kept his eyes on the gun in case Emmett changed his mind. He didn’t feel like dying today as he was unarmed. 

 

“You know,” Emmett spoke again, his eyes trained on Edward. He could see the malice lurking in their depths.  “You hurt my sister. On the way back home, she tried her best to keep me from putting a bullet in you. I hate seeing my little sister cry—especially over some asshole like you.”

 

“I apologized,” Edward said lamely. 

 

“And sometimes an apology isn’t good enough!” Emmett snapped, setting the gun on the roof of the car. 

 

Edward backed up instinctively. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as sweat broke over his brow. He would duck if Emmett shot at him. Though he hoped he didn’t. Edward was relying on weeks of friendship to keep him alive. 

 

“I know it isn’t. I know I should have come clean, but I had a job to do, Emmett.” 

 

“Get out,” Emmett snarled, grabbing the gun again. 

 

“What?” Edward asked confused. 

 

Emmett cocked the gun across the car, “I said get out. I don’t wanna shoot you in here.”

 

Narrowing his eyes at him, Edward marched out of the garage, slapping the doors on his way out. He could hear the shuffling of Emmett’s boots behind him. He knew the gun was still up and ready to shoot him. 

 

“I’m out, now what?” Edward turned, his arms outstretched. 

 

“Now I think I am gonna shoot you Edward,” Emmett sneered, taking a step toward him. “You come into my life with my family and into my home and you betray me. You fucking LIED to me.”

 

“I was doing MY job!” Edward shouted. 

 

“I don’t give a fuck what you were doing! You still betrayed me,” he shouted back.

 

Neither of them heard the front door slam shut as Bella stormed out screaming at them. Before either of them could acknowledge her, they heard the sound of an engine coming their way... and fast.

 

Slowly, Edward turned to see Eric’s white Jetta come to a screeching halt on the curb. If things were bad, now Edward was afraid to see what was coming. 

 

“Eric! What are you…?” Emmett began, lowering his gun. 

 

“Please Em, I didn’t mean too. I need help. I didn’t know that would happen. He’s…” Eric crawled out of the car, his clothing dingy. His face tired as if he hadn’t slept in days. 

 

Everyone stopped and listened as more engines came over the hill of the road. Two motorcycles sped toward then, guns in their free hands. The deadly sound of bullets hitting the road, houses and the sound of breaking glass had all four of them ducking for cover.

 

Dropping to his knees, Edward reached into the car, looking for something. Sliding through the front of the car, he pushed the button of the glove box and found a spare gun he didn’t know was there. Hoping to God it was loaded, he slipped out and fired off two shots.

 

He didn’t even see they filled Eric with bullets; they extinguished his life. The motorcycles raced off down the road and away from them. Throwing himself into his car, he turned the engine on and threw the gear into reverse. Whipping out of the driveway, he shifted gears and pushed his foot down on the accelerator. 

 

Behind him was the sound of a semi-V8 engine revving up as Emmett sped past him. Giving chase to the black motorcycles, Edward blinked against the harsh wind that whipped around him. The chase went on for a couple of miles as the three weaved in and out of traffic. He never lost them as he sped past them. Pushing the NOS button on the steering wheel, his head jerked back as the car sped up. 

 

The car hopped over a hill as he continued to drive. He wondered if Emmett was on the move as well. He knew he had fucked things up when he confessed who he really was a few days ago, but he had tried to set it right. Now, instead of making things better, he was chasing down James Baker and Laurent. He watched Eric die, and he did nothing to stop it. 

 

Jerking the wheel to the right, he swerved as bullets came flying toward him. Nearly falling into the passenger seat, Edward tried to reach for his gun. The surrounding cars were breaking as the bullets kept being fired. Hopping over another hill, he threw half his body out the window, his gun curved tightly in his hand as he pulled the trigger. 

 

Out of nowhere, Laurent was behind him in a game of tag. Before Laurent could pull the trigger and shoot at him again, a black Charger swooped in and handled Laurent for him. Edward didn’t see Emmett getting out of the Charger and watch as Laurent rolled down a hill and watch him die. 

 

Still following James, they landed in midday traffic surrounded by pedestrians and cars. Weaving in and out of traffic, Edward panicked seeing James twist his body to aim his gun at him. As the bullets hit the car, Edward pushed down on the brakes, making the car come to a screeching halt. Smoked billowed behind him as he aimed his gun and pulled the trigger three times. 

 

On that third time, his bullet hit James. The motorcyclist spun out of control before he laid it over and scooted across the pavement.

 

Getting out of the car, his gun tight in his hand, he maneuvered through traffic, trying not to get hit. Rushing over, he skidded to a halt and lowered down to check James’s pulse. Not finding one, he stood up and looked around the busy area. James was dead and there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. He knew his boss wanted James, and he wanted him so that Emmett wouldn’t be the guilty party. 

 

A screeching of brakes turned Edward to look toward the hill. Upon it sat the black Charger. A shiver ran down his spine hearing the roar of the engine, but his mind knew he was fucked if Emmett had half a mind to shoot him. Sprinting toward his car, he ordered someone to call 911, while he hopped in the car to give chase to Emmett. 

 

Sliding into the driver’s seat, he slammed the door and punched down on the accelerator. The car took off chasing Emmett, who was far ahead of him. His car hopped over another hill as he caught up to Emmett. As they came to a slow stop, he looked over at Emmett, who looked at him. 

 

“I used to drag this strip back in high school. That railroad crossing is a quarter-mile. On the green, I am going for it.” Emmett said, turning his head toward Edward.

 

Edward couldn’t believe this. They would race, now? Of all the time Emmett should try to leave Los Angeles, he wanted to race. He listened as the Charger’s engine revved loudly. Taking the hint, Edward did the same and prepared himself for a quarter-mile race.

 

When the light turned green, the wheels spun as Edward hit on the gas. From the corner of his eye, he watched as the front end of Emmett’s car lifted off the ground. He drove that way for several feet before it lowered back down, speeding away from Edward. Panicked as if he was going to lose, Edward pressed the NOS button on the steering wheel again. The car lurched forward, gaining speed, but he still didn’t pass Emmett. 

 

They were neck and neck when things begin to slow down. Edward could hear the tinkle of the signal for the railroad. Over the roar of the engine, he could hear the train horn blaring. Shifting gears, he pushed the accelerator until he was almost punched through the metal frame of the car. 

 

On his right side, Emmett’s car began to sputter as the engine and knobs malfunctioned. The race started out between two friends then became a race to see if they would live through this. Worry was etched on Emmett’s face as the train raced closer to them. Pressing the NOS once again on the wheel, Edward realized he would have to hope and pray he made it. 

 

As the train came closer, his heart seemed to fall out of its protective cage and land on his lap. He watched the train and sailed across the tracks mere seconds before the train could crash into them. Wooden beams from the railroad crossing slapped the car as he leaped.

Slowing the car down, he turned to Emmett, who was staring at him in relief. Edward felt fear shoot down his spine as a large transport truck slammed into the side of the Charger. The Charger flipped and flew into the air. As it landed, it rolled several times before landing upright. Edward hit the brakes and swerved to a stop. Getting out of the car, he raced over the smoking and damaged car. 

“Emmett!” he shouted as he ran the driver’s side. Inside, Emmett was sitting upright with blood pouring down the side of his head. Edward couldn’t tell if he was in shock or angry. 

Edward stood back and Emmett tried to climb out of the car. When he was halfway out, Edward lent him a hand and helped pull him out. Off in the distance, they could hear sirens coming toward them. Emmett gripped his shoulder as they looked at one another, trying to figure out what to do next.

Turning back toward the sirens, Edward was at a loss for a moment. He had his opportunity to hand Emmett over to the cops and be on his way to a promotion. A promotion he wanted badly. However, Emmett felt like family to him now. He couldn’t abandon him to the cops, Edward could never live with himself if he did. 

Reaching into his pocket, he handed Emmett his keys. Emmett took them, looked at them before looking back at Edward, who shrugged. 

“I owe you a ten-second car,” Edward said.

Emmett nodded and limped toward Edward’s car keys in hand. In seconds, the engine flared to life as the car spun around and headed away from Edward. Edward stood there watching Emmett drive out of his life. The sirens were coming closer and for a moment, Edward didn’t care. He would take the fall. He would let his family go even if it meant to protect them.

 

 


End file.
